Black Diamonds
by ShorelineHorizen
Summary: Jaune Arc wanted to be a Huntsman, just like his Grandfather. At the age of ten, however... he witnessed true despair. In response, he threw away everything in pursuit of freedom, and to search. More than seven years later, he's hounded by his former Father and given a proposition, and also info on the perpetrators. Is Vale, or Beacon, ready for the 'Big Bro' of the Black Diamonds?
1. Big Bad Boss

**_*Cover art credited to the wonderful and talented rocketmeron on Tumblr. Give em' a look*_**

_Welcome to an actual story of mine that I feel I have planned out pretty well. I'm not gonna take too much of your time, so don't worry. Most of you have read my first story High Tides if you're coming to me from my account, and I'd say it's gonna be of similar quality to that if not greater._

_If you're coming to me from the other… you're probably gonna be disappointed, honestly. That was basically a crack fic given body, and just a test for personalities more than anything substantial._

_For everyone that's new to my little universes, then howdy! You can call me Shore, if ya want. I hope you enjoy what I've started with this one, because it's gonna be a very nice read in my opinion._

_Have at it, boys._

**Chapter 1 µµµµµµµµ Big Bad Boss µµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµ**

It's dark. Just how I like it.

Light, however, sees fit to ruin my peace. Though covered with make-shift curtains, it still manages to find and pour through every hole in the fabric, lighting up the room more than enough for my tastes. I sink further into my chair, slumping down even more as I take in the sight around me. Directly ahead are a pair of thick wooden doors, made with artsy craftsmanship that shows off _exactly_ how rich the previous owner was. Time hasn't been too good to them however, as the wood is laden with deep scratches and dents. Beyond that, the room itself also shows the promise of riches through woodwork on the walls.

A queen-sized bed is crookedly set in the room, facing the door just like my throne. The knickknacks of the previous owner lay untouched by me, cluttering up shelves and side tables without so much as the dust being out of place. Gold plated silverware, exotic looking urns, even a few ancient looking coins and books lay scattered around the room like confetti.

Without having to look, I know exactly what's on the wall behind me. A piece of art, probably clocking in at thousands upon thousands of lien is hung up directly on the middle of the wall. The landscape in it, in my honest opinion, is a bit nice to look at…

But I actually find the graffiti sprayed over it to be _much _more pleasing. I can't even stop the smile on my face at the thought. Frost really _does_ have a way with those paint cans.

Just as I'm about to think on the piles of lien cards and dust crystals left pouring out of a massive wooden chest about half the size of my bed, the doors open and catch my attention. Slowly, I shift my gaze from the pile of goods to instead rest on the person now in the room.

"Big bro, we got a problem." The woman says in a nervous tone, trying to hide that by looking me in the eyes. Grey eye shadow covers the lids of her own, and pink hair frames what's visible of her face past the black bandanna covering her mouth and jaw. On top of her head is a white beanie, and that pretty much sets the tone for the rest of her outfit. Tank top, wrist warmers, shorts, socks and even the sneakers were all black and white.

The finishing touch for what has somehow become the standard outfit for the ladies? A monochrome zigzag patterned band around her thigh, barely an inch below her frayed white cut-off shorts.

To her statement, I just slump even further into my chair and groan with my hands resting on top of my head. I can already guess what she's gonna say, and I can't possibly think of a more annoying way to continue with my day.

Before I can ask, another grunt slides through the door to rest beside her with a furrowed brow. The uniforms are practically identical in my eyes, the only difference being the shin-length black shorts and lack of a thigh band on the guy.

They might be some fuckin copycats… but at least they copied someone with _good tastes_, right?

"Ain't that the damn truth! Jackass hasn't moved an inch outta place since he got here!" He complains loudly, left eye twitching at just the thought. I'd bet he was working gate duty when the annoyance showed up if I were a gambler.

Time to face reality, I guess. Just kill me now.

"_Please_ don't tell me he's back AGAIN! Tell me it's someone else, for the love of fucking Oum…" I trail off, scrubbing my hands furiously at my scalp. No matter how many times I ignore this guy he ALWAYS comes back! It's like he can't take a hint!

The two share a look as if seriously contemplating my order before turning back towards me, the guy crossing his arms.

"Hate to say it Big Bro, but it's _definitely_ him. There ain't no mistaking that armor of his." The male grunt confirms, driving my mind even deeper into annoyance at the situation.

"It's pretty recognizable." Pink hair tacks on, looking more confident than she did at the start just from the presence of her brother in arms. It's made more obvious than it would usually be by the pink monkey tail waving calmly behind her, instead of keeping stiff. Ahh, the benefits of having people nearby that you trust.

"Well, shit." I sigh, already feeling a headache coming on. This ain't gonna be fun, I can tell for sure. Nothing much to do but face it head on though.

With an annoyed groan I heft my weight up onto the arm rests of my chair and get up to my feet. Slowly, I stretch my back, letting pops sound off throughout the room from the cracking of my spine. Next, I just shove my hands into my pockets and I'm ready to head out.

"Big Bro?"

"Out front, right?" I ask, ignoring the question completely.

"Like always, yea." The blue haired man answers, resting a hand on his hip as he does so. The pink monkey faunus keeps her eyes on me, probably curious about what my plan is. Believe it or not, it's a pretty simple one.

"Moreno, Cotton, you're comin' with me." I order, watching as they straighten up and throw each other a wide-eyed look. I'm not sure when it started, but recently I began noticing that every time I tell one of my lackeys to come with me they get star struck. Don't ask me why. Kinda makes me feel self-conscious to be honest.

I don't give them time to respond. Instead, I start walking towards the beat-up wooden doors they came through to start on the journey outside. Automatically they slide out of the way once I come close enough, and as soon as I get passed the barrier of the door they fall into step behind me. I'm sure you could've guessed, but the rest of the mansion matches the master bedroom. AKA: Rich. Once upon a time this belonged to the wealthiest man in the village, basically the mayor and resident 'royal'. It's probably worth a good amount of lien, as well.

Now though… it belongs to me and my family.

Walking through the long halls on rich red carpets, I walk past room after room, and painting after painting. Along the way are familiar burn marks and piles of broken glass from what once were windows or expensive vases. Large gouges are carved into the wood of the walls, and I can't help the smile it brings to my face. On our way to the main room, we pass by various other people in identical clothing to the two behind me, marking them as part of my group. I pass by silently, paying no mind to the wide eyes of my grunts. The two behind me however, get praise from the various faunus and humans that we pass by. A nice display of camaraderie, in my mind.

_"__Is that Cotton? You go girl!"_

_"__Moreno, how the hell'd you get to walk with the boss?! I'm so jealous dude!"_

_"__You think I'll ever get the chance to help the boss? I wanna prove to him that I appreciate what he's done."_

_"__I'm sure we'll all get our chance. He's our Big Bro, there's no way he'd push any of us away."_

While _I _stay silent at the comments, my mind doesn't.

'_Maybe there are a few new faces in the team after all. I'll get to em' eventually. I got all the time in the world anyway, so there's no rush.'_ I think to myself, suitably surprised with how many people I don't recognize. Silently I listen to all the whispers and comments as we pass by, each one making it harder to keep my expression schooled in my typical glare.

The walk continues like this for a good while. Along the way, I just admired the art on the walls and the amount of people around. Art courtesy of the spray can of Frost, obviously. Lots of regular people without knowledge of this place would definitely be unhappy with our 'artistic inspiration', but who the hell is gonna stop us? Everyone here not only _knows_ what these people did, but many were their _victims_. Not a single person stood against the vandalism, and for a hell like this, I encouraged it. Finally, we come up on what people call a 'foyer'. A massive crystal chandelier rests just above eye level to the balcony we come out onto, covered in lengths of black and white fabric in a creative fashion for just a bunch of 'delinquents', as the people of some settlements like to call us. Continuing on my path, I come to rest directly in front of the splintered wooden railing of the balcony and decide to take in the sights.

The chandelier is obvious, but beyond that on the same level as us is the front of the mansion we're occupying. On this level a wall of windows greets me, giving a pretty nice view of the sky and courtyard outside. The foyer itself is a massive room, a curving staircase on either side of me and with tiled floors that weren't cracked when we arrived. Doors, some untouched and others completely broken off the frames, line the walls at the bottom of the room, with two corridors extending further back into the house. All of this is nice… _especially _the team paraphernalia that's scattered all around with the colors and symbols of my members. Thing is though, none of this can be called the best decoration in the house.

The thing that holds _that_ little title rests directly behind me.

With a leisurely air, I wheel myself around to look the way we came. Not the hallway, no. _My_ prize rests just above that. My eyes flick ever so slightly above the doorway, and a great smile spreads itself across my face. Both members of my entourage follow my gaze, and matching laughs echo out into the massive room. Just above the doorway is a tall area of wall, easily enough for another floor in its entirety. Instead of springing that far however, the original owner decided to use the space to display a massive tapestry that I can't doubt may very well have cost a fortune and a half. When we first arrived, it was a massive historical rendering of the events of the Great War, something probably valuable to any historians that exist on Remnant. As soon as I laid my eyes on it though, I felt the tug of hatred at my heart.

The scene depicted on the tapestry was of one event in particular of the Great War. Many things happened during it, but there was one specific event that called like a beacon to shitty people everywhere during those times. The relocation of the faunus to Menagerie. Racists from all over the world piled an entire species onto a fucking island in the middle of the ocean and called it square. Even today, there are very few places that are free of subjugation towards them… and that goes against _every fucking thing _that I believe in. There's nothing more important to me than freedom, after all. The scene on the tapestry was an obviously racist depiction of that, with members of the faunus population being shipped out on a boat in heavy chains.

Over **all **of that, however… was a truly massive depiction of a diamond. Colored in the blackest paint we could get our damn hands on.

Not only did it ruin whatever this massive piece of shit is worth, it makes me feel happy every time I see it. And I see it _pretty often._

A chuckle escapes me, synching up perfectly with Moreno and Cotton in that regard before I turn and start my way down the right-hand set of stairs. Glass and porcelain crunches under the soles of my sneakers with every step, and memories of exactly how this all came to be began to invade my mind at the noise. Needless to say, I toss those thoughts out immediately. I've got other stuff to focus on. The walk to the front doors was monotonous, but not in a bad way. It had the effect of calming my nerves before I face _whoever_ this guy is and tell him to get lost, so I'd say I appreciate it.

As I reached towards the gold-plated handle of the door however… I catch sight of the glass inlayed into the frame. Despite being cracked, it's still more than enough to show me my reflection.

To show me what it is I've become after all these years.

Familiar blue eyes look back at me, having darkened just a bit over time. An angular jaw line tenses up as I look, still a feature of handsomeness in my own mind. A white headband covers my forehead completely, casting a shadow over my brow and to some degree my eyes as well. Above that is a head of short spikey hair, bleached so as to distance myself even further from the life I'd thrown away. Kept short and swept back, I'd say I did a good job of it in my own opinion. Further down, my reflection is wearing a short-sleeved white fishnet shirt. Now, it's true that to pull of fishnet you should probably be somewhat fit. It's _also _true that_ I_ pull it off flawlessly. Over that, I wear a black short-sleeved jacket with a hood. Down the shoulders, sleeves, and sides are thick white lines holding a single black zigzag pattern along the length of it. Left unzipped, of course. To match, I wear a simple pair of baggy black athletic sweat pants with white X designs around the ankles. White sneakers and two black and white bracelets on my left wrist finish off the basics of the outfit everyone else has been trying their best to copy.

I won't admit it to anyone, but I feel a bit of pride when members of my team started trying to imitate me. It really started a movement that brought them all closer together, and a _tradition _for new members to try and follow.

But those are thoughts for another time. The reflection of myself still has a few aspects to focus on, after all. Around my neck is one of my most prized possessions, but you wouldn't guess it from just looking at it. Laying comfortably attached to a piece of leather cord is a large chunk of amber, polished to a shine and laying framed in golden wiring. It might not look like much to someone else… but I can safely say that I'd hurt someone very, very badly if they ever got stupid enough to try and take it from me. Moving on, the next attribute rests on my hands. On the digits of my fingers live tattoos of the very same black diamond that watches over us from above the balcony, all in jet-black ink. You don't even _want_ to know how hard it was to stop these idiots from jerry rigging their own tattoo guns. We can't really afford people getting metal poisoning or even something like tetanus, so I shut that down REAL quick.

And that sums up the man staring back at me through the glass. The only details left out, would be the diamond in white on the back of my jacket, and the one I hate thinking about the most.

That being the scar, starting at the bridge of my nose and extending evenly barely an inch underneath my left eye.

"Uh… Big Bro? You alright?" The sound of Cotton's voice snaps me out of my mind, and makes me realize exactly where I am once again.

Putting on a feral scowl for the jackass in the reflection, I throw the beat-up door open and give her my unwavering answer.

"Better than ever! I'm just excited to give this damn clown a good beat down…" I trail off with a throaty growl, slipping back into reality easily now that my thoughts are back under control. Without a second to waste I walk through the door with a purposeful swagger in my step, immediately being greeted to the sight of the massive yard and brick path leading to the rest of the village. Overgrown and green as hell is about as descriptive as I can get with what was once a lawn and garden, and for good reason too. After all, there are much more impressive sights to look at than that. From the crumbling and fractured fountain we're advancing on in the middle of the brick path, to the multitude of reasonably sized buildings that were once houses and shops just outside of the mansion's fence. As we move around the massive stone fountain that probably has more algae than water in its' pool at this point, I'm greeted to the sight of the massive gate, long since broken off its hinges. Just before that though, is a much more welcomed sight.

Multiple members of my little family, judging from the clothes and stances, all with various weapons pointed at our esteemed guest as an attempt to get him to bail.

The closer we get, the more I realize that whatever our guest looks like is completely covered up by the group of lackeys surrounding him. However, with every step I can _also_ make out my members much clearer than before… and that brings a smile back to my face. A feral one, but a smile nonetheless.

"Who the hell do you think you ARE, gramps?" A young man with visible scaring on his shoulders shouts, waving around a spiked club as he does so. Despite being a dog faunus, that golden retriever tail of his remains steady, proving just how hostile he's feeling towards our guest.

"That's what _I'm_ tryna figure out, man! Who the hell is this guy?!" Another male grunt tacks on with a stomp of his foot, pointing at the man just inside the gate with a wicked looking machete in hand.

"Forget who he thinks he is, boys. Why the hell has he been showin up _every day_ this week?" A horned member asks, resting a fucking _sub machine gun _of all things against her shoulder. She _does _make a good point though; we _all_ know from experience just how annoyingly persistent this mystery man is.

"Wait, what? Man, this guy's even more of a creep than I thought! Just get lost already old man!" My thoughts exactly. If only it was that easy to get him to fuck off!

"Yeah, you just wait until Big Bro gets out here! He'll kick your sorry old ass for sure!" A new grunt chimes in, bumping a modified baseball bat in the air as a cheer at the last part and showing just how much trust she has in me. Despite her short stature… I have this feeling she might be the most violent one here.

Not bad at all. Guess it's time to take the stage, then.

"Everyone back off him!" I bark, now more than close enough to the action to make a stand. "I'll be takin' it from here."

From where I am, I can't even see the man past the people surrounding him. In all honesty, I don't even know who he is or what he even _looks_ like. Never seen him before… but that's because he's never gotten this close. Before we got here, my members and I would jump from village to village, something we put on hold for now. During that time, my contacts would always mention to me something about a guy in armor passing through town only _days_ after we moved on. That wouldn't usually be important when mentioned the first time, I mean Huntsmen pass through towns all the time.

By the time he passed through a previous village we were at just days before for the FIFTH time, I was convinced he was following us.

Here, he'd finally caught up to us without a doubt. It took him longer than usual, but he made it to us once we finished fixing this hell hole, and I was the first person to be told. Naturally. Instead of choosing to deal with it myself, I sent some of my stronger members directly to him as a way to get him out of the village. Needless to say, that didn't work. He never fought them, and they never instigated. He took all the verbal beatings they threw at him and never did so back. The only thing he ever said, time and time again, was a request. That he wanted to talk to me.

Seeing a heavily armored man walk into your town and ask for you directly? Yea I'm pretty sure he's lookin' for a fight.

So I guess I'll just have to give him one. He's been a thorn in my side for more than long enough.

Immediately, every team member we'd found at the gate froze up. Some were mid-wave of their weapons and others might've been changing position, but they all stiffened up just the same. Silence rested for a good solid moment with no one moving until the scarred faunus broke it with a chuckle.

"You're in trouble now, big guy…"

Gradually, my boys and girls backed off him. With every inch, more of the mysterious armored man was revealed. In just a few seconds, all of the grunts were lined up next to both Moreno and Cotton at my side, weapons now held at ease with my appearance on the field. I feel pride at that, but that's a story for another time entirely. Instead of focusing on something like that… my eyes are locked onto the man just in front of the dented and bent remains of the gate.

A tall man indeed, he stood about three inches taller than myself, putting him at a respectable 6'4". A head of light blonde hair was proudly displayed, cut relatively short and matched by a beard of a similar color. Beyond the face warmer of his, deep blue eyes look back at me. Covered by plate armor pretty much every where besides his head, he cut an intimidating figure in the white and gold metal. Around his waist he wore a leather belt with multiple pouches and a broadsword hung from it. On his back, something massive and obscured by cloth was left hanging, nearly as tall as I was from the looks of it.

I feel my jaw threaten to drop as I look at the man before me. The eyes and the hair are already a dead give away as to his blood, but that's not all. That sword is directly from the family armory, and the two familiar golden arcs displayed prominently on the breast of his armor left no room for mistake about his identity.

Someone I never thought I'd find here.

"Pops? The hell you doing here?" I ask obliviously, completely confused about his presence in my village.

Confusion shoots across the mans face at the words I threw at him, and the hand gripping the handle of his sword tightened ever so slightly. Slowly, he stapled his eyes to me and soaked in my appearance. The hair, the clothes, the eyes, I watched as he committed everything he saw to memory, but still the confusion on his face didn't leave. Then he froze.

The grip on the handle of his weapon was lost completely as the arm went limp. His mouth was agape… and his eyes were completely and utterly _locked_ onto one key aspect about me. Less than an inch below my own eyes, his gaze was lasered in on the scar I will forever have marring my existence.

"… son?" The man mutters out to me, still flabbergasted at the sight before him. That's right. Apparently the man that's been tailing my group has been none other than Acacius Arc, current head of the Arc family and father of seven young ladies.

Also the husband to the nastiest, most _miserable_ bitch in the fucking galaxy.

"Once upon a time I was. Why've you been following me old man?" I ask straight to the point. I'm in no mood or mindset to get _acquainted _with the Arcs again. If I had my way, I'd never have to deal with any of them for the rest of my fucking life. I can clearly hear the intakes of breath from my family around me at the new knowledge, but I pay it no mind. This isn't anything I need to hide… just something that I'd _like _to.

"Is this guy really your dad, Don?" Asks Cotton from my side, nervousness barely hidden in her voice. Before I can answer, Acacius pops his fuckin top.

"Don? What the hell is going on here Jaune?! Are you telling me this entire time that _you've _been the leader of the Black Diamonds?" He asks incredulously, more or less demanding an answer from me.

'_Here we fuckin go…'_ The thought crosses through my mind just as I let out a tired sigh, my head hanging in complete resignation.

"You could say that. I'm the leader around here after all, so I'm pretty sure that _also_ makes me the boss of the Black Diamonds. You _should_ be able to tell just from the way I dress, since they all emulate my style. Unless your eyesight's going, old man." I admit freely with a parting jab before rocking my head up and staring pointedly directly into his eyes. "As for the name… you should know why it ain't Jaune, pops. When I bailed, I left behind everything. _Especially the family._"

I watch him flinch at that, but can't bring myself to feel sorry for such a weak man.

"So… when did the Don thing happen?" Once again, I sigh in response. I can tell there's gonna be a lot of talking today. I'm already over it, honestly.

"For the longest time after I left, I considered myself completely nameless." I ignore another flinch because of my bluntness and continue anyway. "My entire trip to Mistral, actually. While traveling people kept recruiting themselves left and right around me for their own reasons, and one day we just became the Black Diamonds. Never once have I said my name, or even given myself a new one. I was completely fine with not _having_ one at all. One day though, the people that I'd been leading just started calling me different names. Aniki, Big Bro, and Don are the only ones that stuck, and I just got used to it. That answer it?" I explain with distance in my voice, eyeing the armored man coldly.

"I understand that… but I still can't figure out why you left in the first place, Jaune. Why would you run away, especially so soon after what happened?" He's keeping surprisingly calm… even a bit rational. I can hardly believe it, but it's almost like he changed for the better over the year. Understanding used to be the downfall of the entire Arc family before I set out on my own. I wonder if maybe that's changed?

…

I have to suppress an honest snort at the thought.

"You remember how _she _treated that entire thing right?"

"How could I forget…" A surprising amount of distaste colored his voice as he said that.

"Her ideas and wishes went against every single fucking thing I believe in. She wanted to keep me locked away from the world forever, and control every god damn thing I did! Then the **second** that I have my aura, she just up and _declares_ that I'll be a damn Huntsmen! That bitch wanted me to have the EXACT opposite of freedom, and that's _the_ most important thing in this world!" I shout at him, pissed off at just the memory of those days. Ya think you can just _choose_ for me? Yea right, I'd rather die than have people making my damn choices!

"Preach it, Big Bro! Life is _nothing_ without that!" Cheers the machine gun toting grunt, sounding supremely happy with my defense. For some reason, a smile sprouts up on my father's face. A chuckle soon follows, and his gaze turns to a far warmer one.

"You really took Dad's words to heart, didn't you?" He asks, nearly under his breath.

"Of course I did! Gramps was my hero. Saved me from that rotten ol' lady of yours all the time." I comment, now crossing my arms over my chest comfortably.

Surprisingly, a genuine laugh bubbles up from the man. Deep and joyful, you'd think I didn't just insult his wife. What a weird guy…

"Probably why she hated him, now that I think of it!" He says with another belt of laughter following. Try as I might, a sick smile falls onto my face at the joke. It's a true one, that's why it got to me. Even as a kid, I could see just how much she disliked gramps.

"Fun as this is, I think it's time we get down to business." I say, turning the tone of the conversation on its head. "Why were you looking for the boss of the Black Diamonds?"

Immediately, a sharpness enters Acacius' eyes, proving the fact that he's a real Huntsman. His posture straightens up near automatically, and I'm calling it right now that his tone has changed too.

"I have the same thoughts, but you'll probably be surprised." He says in a much steadier voice, completely proving that I would have won if I placed a bet. "I was planning on asking if any of his contacts had seen _you,_ son. I found logs for your ticket to Mistral nearly a year and a half ago at the port. Every bit of free time I had between missions was spent looking for you out here."

My jaw truly drops this time, showing just how much of an impact these words have on me. The old Acacius wouldn't dare step out of the influence of his wife… and you don't need a scientist to know what she must think of me. For a solid moment, the gears in my mind were left to turn before I finally regained my composure, my arms that had fallen limp now resting on my hips.

"Bet Ma and her little girls aren't too happy about _that_, pops. How'd ya manage to convince them of that?" I ask him seriously, flippant attitude nearly completely gone at this point. Even _if _they'd changed their ways, I don't think I can forgive them. I'm _damn_ sure not gonna risk falling under that sour woman's thumb again, I'd rather dissolve Black Diamond than come _anywhere _near her.

In other words, never gonna fuckin' happen.

A lost look washes over him, his eyes dropping just a bit before he answered my question. "I didn't."

"What?" My instant reaction was that of confusion, but still he continued.

"Ever since you'd disappeared, your mother and I have been fighting. It came to a head a while ago… and I haven't been in contact with her in nearly two years. Right before I set out to search Remnant for my son." He explains further, a stoney look taking over him at his own words. I, for my part, feel nothing but shock.

This man broke free of his wife's will? The same man that went along with every one of her wishes since before I was born?

For _me_? A runaway? I can't help but be not only impressed… but also suspicious.

No matter how shady I think it is though, the fact that he's even out in Mistral looking for _me_ is enough to inspire some trust in his words. If my contacts are right, he's been trailing us for months as well. All in an attempt to find some info about his son from the big bad leader of the Black Diamonds.

Imagine that.

Silently, I turn from side to side and take stock of my supporters, seeing all of them completely off of their guard now. Shock is present in many of their eyes, and in some cases confusion takes that place. Not hard to find out why, but still I find it pretty amusing. I take just a moment to think about my next plan of action… and resignation fills my heart as I realize what my mind is pointing to.

I take a deep breath just to steel myself for what I'm about to do. I'm not too proud of giving him this chance either, after years of hating on the Arc name. Sometimes though… I guess people _can_ grow some spine.

"You… wanna grab some food from the restaurant in the village?" I ask, trying my best to sound confident and uncaring. "For old times' sake."

He just gives me a smile. One I haven't seen since I was ten years old.

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"So I noticed that everyone in your gang has their aura unlocked…" Acacius trails off as a conversation starter, now sat at the table of the single diner in town with a bowl of stew in front of him. The mansion isn't the only place we have occupied in the town, after all. Besides, having a hub for meals like this is good for the group in my opinion. I'm sat across from him with a similar bowl, and I roll my eyes at his shitty segue.

"Course you'd notice, mister sensor." I say with no venom in my voice. "It wasn't always that way… but after we came to Po village, I felt it was a good step. Feel me?"

"A dangerous one… but it looks like it worked out. What made you decide to unlock everyone?" He asks with honest curiosity as he eats a spoonful of his meal. Not a bad question, but I doubt he'll like the answer behind it.

I know I don't.

"You remember the heavy shoulder scars on my guy outside, right?" He pauses at my question, but answers after a second of thought.

"The one with the club and the dog tail, right? Yea I remember the guy." I nod, and continue on.

"He's pretty much a walking example of why. My people and I came to Po village because there were some rumors that I was interested in. Everything seemed pretty normal at first." I state truthfully, with a large amount of distaste filling my voice towards the end. This tale isn't a pretty one.

"I feel there's a but coming…" And you'd be right, old man.

"_But,_ then I saw the people in this town for what they really were. While I was hunting for the info I wanted, I heard screams from under the ground. Everyone I asked about it got shifty and changed the topic, so naturally my boys and I stormed the biggest house in the town to get some answers." He nearly spits out his stew at my logic, but that's his problem. "The one you found us at, actually. I found Shiko tucked away in one of their back rooms with his arms cut to the goddamn bone, bleeding out for trying to fight back." I say, growing more into my normal attitude with every word. I'm still pissed about this shitty town.

"Fight… back?" Despite the confusion in his voice, I can see him gripping the table quite hard. Seems he's got an idea about what's coming.

"Yep. Apparently this _entire _fuckin' place was just a front for an underground faunus slave market." I feel hatred bubble up in my heart as I say the words. "_Literally._ I gathered up all my people and we razed the place. In the end, we managed to drive all those sick motherfuckers out into the wild where they belong. I unlocked the aura of the slaves so their injuries would heal easier, and to give them a better chance at surviving the torture… I guess I just didn't stop with them."

He was silent for a very long time after that. That time was spent with him watching the steam rise off the surface of his stew, obviously battling with the information he just learned.

"You've been busy." He says, still lost in thought, but trying to move past himself. "And recruiting." He finished, taking another spoonful of his stew. His assessment makes me stop right before eating a spoonful of my own to correct him.

"Busy, yeah. But I haven't recruited shit. Black Diamond isn't a gang like you think. We're just a bunch of sorry motherfuckers that ain't got anywhere else to be." I see a shadow pass over his eyes at this, but continue anyway. "People that don't wanna be home, that got dealt a shit hand, that are out here looking for something, and people that just want somewhere to belong. They look out for each other… and follow me for some reason. Can't figure _that_ out no matter how much I think about it."

What's so special about a guy like me?

"Don't look now, but I think_ I_ can see what _they_ do." Acacius says, putting a light scowl on my face from the amount of cheek he's giving me. "You've been looking for those two, haven't you? The woman and that faunus boy."

"No shit. They deserve what's comin' to em'." My answer was swift and brutal. Just what they deserve. A wave of contemplation washes over him as he continues eating. I do the same myself, all the way up until he speaks again.

"I have a proposition for you, son." He says seriously, setting the tone for what he says next. With a twinkle in his eye, he spits it out. "The new year at Beacon Academy in Vale starts next week."

"No." I put my foot down, completely stomping the shit out of the idea in my mind. "That would be letting _her_ get her way."

Wordlessly, he gets up from the chair he was sitting comfortably at. He stands to full attention, and just as I'm about to ask what the hell he's doing, his armored hand reaches for the covered thing on his back. Instead of interrupting, I let the scene play out by itself. Hate to admit it, but I've been curious about what it was this entire time.

With a firm grip on what I'm assuming is a handle, Acacius hefts the item off his back and presents it in front of himself, resting the bottom of whatever it is on the floor with a loud metallic clack on the tile. His other hand grips the cloth covering the obvious weapon, and in the span of a second he rips the covering off and tosses it to the side.

My breath hitches at the sight. Something I never thought I'd see again in this lifetime rests in his hand, and I feel a tug at my cold heart just looking at it.

An absolutely massive example of a greatsword rests before me, metal gleaming in the light streaming through the window next to us. Just a few inches shorter than me, it stands as an imposing weapon. The blade was long and I'm sure matte black once upon a time. Decades of use and wear has left countless scratches along its length, and small chips line the edges. Every one of them reveal silvery metal beneath, obviously something with _titanic _strength and composition. That's an Arc weapon, after all. I doubt anything short of a full-on kick from a Behemoth Grimm could even so much as pit it, so I can't even _imagine_ what caused the damage to it. The handle was a two-and-a-half grip, just a simple pole of black metal wrapped in worn royal blue leather. In the place of a pommel on the end of the handle was nothing more than a thick ring of metal, around which was tied a small length of white silk. The blade itself was thick and intimidating, with the width of the blade being even more than my forearm. The real kicker though, was the complete lack of a guard at all. Nothing but a tapered area melding the blade into the handle rest where it should have been.

"Th- that's-"

"Yours." He interjects, grip lax on the handle of the massive sword in his hand. "If you consider what I have to say."

…

"I never thought I'd see it again."

"You're not the only one. They ended up finding it in the rubble of the village though, and now here it is." I… I _need_ that. I can't bring myself to push everything aside for it though. Instead, I remain silent. I'm sure the conflict still made it to my face though.

"I also managed to find some of his notebooks in the library. I'll give every one of them to you if you agree." Still, I stay silent in the face of temptation. "When you were young, all you would talk about was becoming a Huntsman just like your Grandfather. I was a stupid man then, and gave into your mother far too easily. It took the death of my father to knock me out of it, and by then you were gone." Longing in his voice quickly turned to self-loathing, all the while he gazed intently at the blade in his hand.

"If I were a stronger man in the past, I'm sure you would be starting as a student of Beacon Academy next week." He's probably not wrong… but that's just not what I want anymore. What is the point in dying for people I couldn't give less of a shit about?

"I know you hate the idea, and I don't blame you in the slightest… but more than anything, I'd like to see you there. The place you would have been, if I hadn't failed you as a father. I don't expect you to agree… but I'd be in your debt if you helped an old man like me live out one of his foolish dreams." His hands are shaking, but I'm too busy thinking to really pay any more attention than that. The facts pile up quickly as I go over them.

"This… is a lot. And your leverage means a lot to me." I say slowly, a scowl gradually forming on my face at the idea of what would come.

"It's not as bad as it sounds. I wouldn't force you through four years of misery on your part for something like your Grandfather's things, especially since you care so much about them. Even a single semester would be more than enough to make me happier than I've been in years." He says with guilt in his voice… as there should be. Cheeky motherfucker, he's a lot smarter than I had him pegged for. "Aside from that, I think I have information about one of the people that you've been searching for."

At that, my ears pricked up and all previous thoughts and turmoil were thrown out the window.

"That _is…_?" I prompt, leaning in to hopefully hear what he has to say. To my relief, he didn't see fit to also hold the information above my head.

"Nothing on the woman. I've heard things about the boy though. Word is, he ran off and bunked up with the White Fang sometime after the attack." I give off a heavy groan and run my hands through my hair at that.

"_Perfect._ Now I got _two_ goddamn targets to look for!" This day just keeps getting better, doesn't it? Now not only are a gang of bandits on my hit list, but apparently I'm gonna be going up against a group that spans _continents._

That's just my luck though, isn't it?

"Maybe not." Interjects my meal partner, cutting me out of my thoughts. "Heard some whispers. Apparently, there's been Fang sightings in Vale recently. I think they're about to move into the neighborhood, if you catch my drift."

I cast an eye down at my stew after that, taking a moment to think before commenting.

"Vale, eh?" There really _is_ more to this old man than I thought. I think I can honestly say I find myself pleasantly surprised.

I watch wordlessly as he leans the sword in his hand against the edge of the table and sits back down, already back to eating his meal without any indication that he just put a massive decision on my shoulders.

"Exactly."

Naturally, I find this weird as hell.

"Not gonna wrap your leverage back up pops?" In response, he simply shakes his head in the negative.

"Nope, you can keep it." _Excuse me?_ "Believe it or not, dads' sword is gonna be staying with you no matter _what_ you choose. While I _do_ want you to take my offer for Beacon… this entire time I just wanted to see my son again, Jaune."

…

Huh. I never would have believed that if I didn't hear it myself. Heartfelt or not… I can feel a devilish smile sprout on my lips as an idea pops in my head.

"Call me Don, old man." I demand, naming myself for the first time in more than seven years. "Why don't ya _enlighten _me… what's your plan to get me into Beacon? Gotta be a good one if ya brought it up, yeah?"

A matching smile was on his face in seconds, nothing but deviousness and cheek. A chuckle escapes me as I realize just how similar our thoughts are.

Ya know… he ain't too bad for a pansy with a weakness for women.

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The hours are late now. My _father_ left out for his campsite just outside the walls of Po Village. With me, he left the very leverage he tried to use.

In _front_ of me, sits every member of the Black Diamonds. People of every shape, size and style imaginable… a good chunk of them former slaves of the very town we broke at the seams. Not all of them joined obviously, but those that didn't outright flee from this nightmare of a town were offered a place with us. The others are people from every shithole village and town I'd been to over the years in Mistral, some even from _between_ them. Between all of us, we have too many differences to count. All the way from race or even orientation, to what _salad dressing_ we think is the best. For all that we differ though, we all have something powerful in common.

"Oi! I got somethin' to say, so you mugs listen up!" I shout out above the loud chatter of the crowd. Nearly ninety people are splayed about in the massive foyer of the mansion. Some were resting on the ground in groups, others clogging up the stairs and some just leaning against walls. As for myself, I'm sitting on the railing of the balcony, watching everyone mingle with a blank face. One by one, they all settle down and in time the eyes of everyone is on me. Quietly, I look around the room, making eye contact with members here and there. Everyone was armed with their weapons, makeshift or otherwise and were having a good time.

In the past, I'd just let everyone do whatever they damn well pleased. Today though… I called a meeting for every member of Black Diamond for the very first time outside of announcements that we'd move towns. Today is a different day, after all.

"I guess I should start by greeting all the new people around the group." I start off normally, right before plastering on a nasty smile. "So how all you motherfuckers doin'?!"

My shout pumps up the entire group, a wave of sound being blasted back at me with much of it being cheers and chants of the team name. First thing I do is gesture them to get even louder than that, throwing in my own yells and shouts until eventually it all died down and the atmosphere was less tense. I rest my elbows on my thighs and leave my legs to dangle over the drop to the ground floor as I take in everyone in the room.

"Two weeks ago, my group and I came to Po village looking for information." I start off, not paying any mind to the wave of nods from the older members. "Not only did I not get that info, but I found out that this _entire _village was made up of racist, _slave trading, __**jackasses.**_ The next move we made was to beat em' down and throw those motherfuckers outta town." I say seriously, getting silence from everyone in the room.

"_Think they got mauled by some Ursai?_" At least until that, it did. After someone in the crowd mentioned that in a stage whisper, a wave of snickers washed through the room… even some cat calls sounded off for the joke. Despite the smirk on my face at that, I continue.

"We can dream, can't we?"

"_Hell yeah!"_

At that I gave a real laugh, something echoed by many of the members.

"Seriously though, a lot of you joined Black Diamond then… but not all of you know how the group started in the first place." The eyes on my increased to the max, and I felt interest peak at that. "So I'll tell ya."

Gradually, everyone in the room quiets down entirely, the attention now completely on me. Once I felt I'd left them waiting long enough, I start the story.

"I'll say right now that it ain't nothing amazing or special. Nothing like that at all. When I was ten, I managed to sneak into Mistral all the way from a settlement at the edge of Vale. It was a fringe settlement, actually." Not a single eye left me as I spoke. I took time to shift my weight just a bit before continuing on. "Once I landed, I spent all those years up until now traveling around the Mistral country side… village after village, and town after town. With each place, someone new followed when I left. In the beginning, it was because none of us had anything… or that we didn't want to be tied down to whatever shit we _did_ have."

My gaze flicks down to my shoes, already too engrossed in my own thoughts to realize.

"That lasted for a very long time. Somewhere along the way though, that thought changed into something else." In a flash, my eyes were back towards the crowd, intently gazing into the eyes of every person I could find. "People stopped following us because they had nothing else, and started _joining_ because they wanted to be a part of what we had. They wanted to be free from their lives to find a way and do what they want… and in some way, help us as well." The attention on me wavered… but not the attention on the topic. Many of the older members of Black Diamond are looking at me now with clouded eyes, stuck in the memory of the past. I can't deny that at the moment, I am too.

"And just like _that_ change… somewhere along the way we stopped being a gang of strangers, and became something like family." After my heavy statement, I hop up and swing my legs back onto the floor of the balcony. With stable footing, I rest my weight on the splintered railing I'd been sitting on only seconds ago.

"Beyond all our differences… I feel _that_ is something that everyone in this room has in common."

I can't bring myself to look at them anymore, but still I continue on.

"Because of that fact, all of you make it onto the very short list of people that I respect in this life. Many of you set everything aside to chase after a dream of freedom, just like me. The rest of you took a gamble on something you weren't sure was gonna work out, and joined us anyway." My hands grip the wood of the railing even tighter, and splinters fall to the floor from the crushing force of it.

"That's why, since I respect you all… I need to tell you something."

Silence still reigns in the room… but there's a light tapping noise that I can't place right now. My head is too much of a mess. I'm too focused on what I'm about to say next.

"This entire time, I've been scouring Mistral for information about the location of two people. A woman and a man that I have nothing but hatred for." I caution a glance back up at them from the splintered wood, and all I see is worry in their eyes. I know they'll hate me for this… but I need to tell them instead of just leaving. "I've gotten nothing but cold trails. Until today."

Interest sparks around the foyer in the form of whispers, but they die as soon as they started once my voice sounds off in the room again.

"Apparently the man joined up with the White Fang… and there's a good chance they'll be setting up shop in Vale soon."

This time, there is no whispering.

"A contact has offered me a position at Beacon Academy as a student so that he won't come even _close_ to suspecting me if he's snooping around town. The semester starts in a week… so I'll be shipping out for Vale in a few days."

The members of Black Diamond aren't even looking at me anymore. Some are looking at their feet, others their weapons, and others _still_ are gazing at each other with unsure looks. Quickly, before I get discouraged from saying what needs to be said, I throw my gaze back at the now ruined railing and prepare to grind out my last line. The tapping is closer now, but I can't be bothered to focus on that.

"I can't ask all of you to not only abandon a town you took and made your home, but also the goddamn _kingdom_ you were born into just to follow me." Why does this hurt so much? "That's why… I feel it's time for me to step down as-"

My announcement was cut off abruptly, but not by anything that _I_ caused. Just before I could finish my statement, a small hand gripped my shoulder tightly and spun me around. Before I could get even a glance at the person that fucking interrupted my shit, I felt the unmistakable sensation of a set of knuckles getting intimately familiar with the side of my face. While my head snapped to the side from the unexpected force, the hand gripping my shoulder only got tighter.

As is natural, the bitch switch just got flipped.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, FUCKER?!" I bellow out of fury as I turn to eye the jackass that thinks he can just get away with that, only to be shocked silent when my eyes lock onto them.

Pink. The first thing I noticed was the color pink. It's in the eyes, it's in the hair… and it's in her tail as well.

"Cotton…?"

"JUST WHAT THE FUCK DO _YOU_ THINK YOU'RE _DOING, _IDIOT?!" She bellows right back at me with righteous fury I've never seen her have. With her hands planted firmly on both my shoulders now, she shakes me as hard as she can and tears into me.

"What the hell do you think you're about to say?! We all _chose _to follow YOU, stupid! You think that just cuz' we gotta change scenery that you can stop leading the Black Diamonds?" She drills into me with her words, but I'm more focused on the sweat trailing from her eyes.

It couldn't possibly be tears, after all. No way.

"LAY SOME KNOWLEDGE ON THIS IDIOT!" That was all the warning I got before I was spun back towards the room.

"_You tell his ass, Cotton!_" A blue haired member near the bottom of the stairs yells up in support. Moreno, one of the new people I now recognize that joined from the remains of Po village. He apparently isn't one of the many Faunus that joined up after the fact. Instead, he's a regular human that got caught smuggling slaves out of the village, and was then enslaved himself for the trouble.

"_Yea, what the hell are you thinkin', Big Bro?!_" Another male grunt shouts in question from against the far-left wall. Pale skin, long golden blonde hair that falls under the beanie… that one's Parish. He joined up two settlements ago, in Yumat. If I'm not wrong, he was one of the people that tried to make their own tattoo gun.

"_You can't get rid of us THAT easily, Don!_" A womanly voice comments admonishingly, leading my eyes to one of the more comfortable groups settled into a sitting area off to the side of the room. In a white wicker chair she sat, dressed up in the same getup as everyone else, but missing the beanie. Long locks of familiar jet-black hair, curled to perfection, marked her as someone I _definitely _remember. A former escort all the way from a port town we'd visited briefly. She's one of the ones that took a gamble and came with us for something more than what she had. Over time, Melody settled into a mother-hen role that we never really expected to have among us.

She doesn't really stop us from doing dumb shit, but it's the thought that counts.

"_What's it matter if we take a little trip, anyway?_" Yet another female voice sounds off, much more girlish and coming from the direct middle of the room. The speaker, a panther faunus with long, snow-white hair that reached all the way down her back. On her arms were chains that, while they confused _me,_ were apparently her weapons. Her name I remember as Noir. She was one of them that we found between the settlements, with nothing and no one at all.

I've long suspected that she was a Schnee because of her features since her hair is natural… but I've never come even close to asking out of respect. It's not any of my business.

"_Who the fuck even __**wants **__to stay in Po village?!_" A massive man was responsible for that question. Measuring in at about seven feet and five inches, he's easily among the tallest in our number. I remember him as the unhappy son and apprentice to a blacksmith in Retruna, a farming village. Never really gave a reason as to why he followed us and left the town when we moved on… but I strongly suspect it has to do with the glares his father gave to _some_ of our members. Despite wishing to remain secretive, he was allowed to join like all the rest of us, and with no prying. Mochi's a compassionate one, that's something that everyone here has learned.

"_I'm tired of this place anyway, Big Bro. Besides, I'm sure Vale has LOTS of nice places to tag!_" A man I know very well was the perpetrator behind this. Frost Sera, one of the few without the face mask. A big smile is on his face, and even from this distance he shows excitement in his eyes. Naturally curly hair practically spilled out from his beanie and puffed up massively around him, leaving the mocha skin of his face barely in view. _He_ is the one responsible for most of the art in the town, and impressively the depiction on the wall behind me. I remember him very well, because he was one of the very first to join. Years ago he was forced to be a farm hand for his family in a farming community only known as Shiki Flats. Before I passed through the area with my few followers from the other villages and stretches of land, he aspired to make art in any way he knew how. From paintings to sculptures, he spent his free time making whatever his mind could think of.

His parents set fire to every single attempt at art, calling it 'time-wasting trash'.

I remember him saying how he felt dead to the world, like everything was gray after years of this. He practically told his parents to keel over when he found out about us and has been around ever since. Eventually, with a lot of support from the other members, they managed to convince him to pick up a bit of spray paint… even though he was terrified of the thought.

He never put it back down after that.

The next thing I know, the noise in the room exploded into a cacophony of shouts and admonishment for the idea of resigning. For every person that spoke, I remembered them or committed them to memory. Line after line, shout after shout, a scowl spread across my face. My hands once again rest on the wood of the banister, and the deeper the furrow in my brow got the more pressure was put on it. More and more words were yelled, spat, shouted, and cried… until eventually the pressure grew too great.

The wooden railing completely shattered under my hands, and in that second I yelled at them.

"YALL ARE STUPID!" I roared out furiously, slamming my foot onto the balcony for good measure. The vehemence in my voice quieted everything down completely and totally… but I had a question in my mind at the same time.

'_When did I start… smiling?'_

Wordlessly after that, and with a smile so wide I felt my face was gonna crack in half, my hand shot to the handle of my weapon over my shoulder. My grip tightens considerably on it, and without any hesitation I tear it off the magnetic backplate holding it in place and wield it straight in the air, over my head.

The sword of my grandfather, the man I respected more than anyone else in this world, had every eye on it at that moment. As everyone observed the light gleaming off the slab of metal in my hands, I spoke again.

"But, if you're serious about following me to Vale… then I guess I can't stop you." My statement was serious and full of nothing but resignation in my mind. "ARE YOU READY?!"

Quickly, weapons were brought to arms. In just seconds, everyone in this room was equipped with weapons in hand, staring intently at me before shouting their response.

"_HELL YEAH!_" The roar was near deafening, but it brought a deeper smile to my face.

"THEN LET'S GET READY TO SHOW VALE WHAT WE GOT, EY?!" I roar out, giving _my_ weapon a single pump up into the air as punctuation. What I got back in response was something I'd come to expect from them. As one, they followed my example and pumped their weapons as well, cheering loudly at my own shout. Soon, the cheering turned to more statements.

"_Let's show em' what we got!"_

_"__They won't know what the hell hit em'!"_

_"__Let's kick some Fang ASS!"_

I let the cheers go on for a while, listening to each and every one of them as they grow bolder by the second. I take the time to attach my sword once again to my back, and instinctively the members of Black Diamond do the same. After a few minutes though, I'm hit with the memory of what I have to do… before I lose the nerve. Stepping up once again, I address the crowd with a shout.

"YO!" It takes a minute, but gradually they all have their eyes on me once again. Taking a deep breath, I cross my arms over my chest and speak seriously. "Don't get too fucked up tonight, boys. Tomorrow… we pack up for Vale."

All was silent for just a second. After that, the noise picked right back up with cheers and chants of 'Vale' and 'Aniki' echoing through the room. I continue watching as drinks were passed through the crowd, and before long I turn to go attend to my matter. I make it a couple steps before my eyes lock onto Cotton, standing still to the left of me with her eyes locked onto the floor below the balcony. I can practically read her mind as to what she's thinking, so before I take off I give her a small pat on the shoulder. Her eyes shoot to me, wide and bright… and I give her a single nod before allowing my signature gait to whisk me away. Walking through the entrance to the hallway, over the noise of the gang and the chanting, I hear light taps that I now recognize fully as footsteps backpedal a good ways, nearly to me. In the next moment, those footsteps speed away and disappear completely. A loud whoop of joy replaces the sound, and immediately after that a massive round of cheering shook the room, matched by loud laughter and general excitement.

I have no doubt in my mind that Cotton took a stage dive worthy of a rock star just then.

A smaller smile than before finds its way to my face as I continue on my walk, even as I shake my head in amusement at the action. The smile stays firm on my face as I traverse back through the hallway that's become so familiar to me over the past weeks. Slowly, I make my way past the same shattered glass, splintered wood and gouged walls as I did this morning. The only _real_ difference between then and now, being that it's all lit up by candles and lanterns rather than generator power. The light of the various miniscule fires make shadows dance over the ruined walls and light up artistic impersonations of various members of the group spray-painted on the walls via Frost. Just as before, I stare at the people on the wall as if they were the real deal. Gradually, the cacophony of shouting and noise fades to a much quieter level with each step further back into the mansion… and the realization of what just happened becomes clearer in my mind.

Despite many of them not _really _knowing me, every member of Black Diamond agreed to stay with me. In the face of barely numbering in ninety members, they unanimously agreed to go up against the White Fang at large with me if they needed to.

They were _excited _to go up against them with me, even.

Worry threatens to enter my heart and mind at the thought of just how outclassed we are… but in the end I force it to be washed away. If they weren't completely prepared to face the consequences, then they'd have chosen to stay behind or leave the rest of us. They know that, and they wouldn't face _any_ hatred or repercussions for doing so. Black Diamond is all about freedom after all, and if they wanted nothing to do with us or my search, then that's completely fine with me.

Still… I can't help but feel pride for their dedication to something, even _if _that something happens to be helping this foolish quest of mine.

After what felt like a longer trip down the hall than ever before, I finally reach the familiar beat up doors of the place that's become _my_ room. One was still left ajar from earlier in the day when we rushed out, so all I had to do was slip through it. Immediately, the darkness takes me. The difference from the light of the hallway to the calm darkness of my room was a bit much at the moment. So with a deft hand I fish around in my pocket, while the other grabs and opens the lantern on the wall next to me. With the item from my pocket in hand, I grab and flick it. A dancing flame bursts from the cheap lighter quickly, lighting up the room just enough for me to see. Carefully, I light the wick of the candle in the lantern and put everything back as it was, with the lantern door closed and the black plastic of the lighter back in my pocket.

With light now coating the room, I stare blankly for a few seconds, obviously procrastinating my next move more than I thought I would despite my earlier bravado. Eventually, a shaky hand reaches into my opposite pocket and grips the casing of my scroll. I take it out and flick it open, quickly moving to the call screen and for another moment, just stare at the numbers through the blue light of the device. A second of further hesitation is all I give it before my fingers fly across the keypad on the screen, punching in a number that I'd memorized only earlier today.

I watched intently as it rang. Anxiety bubbled up in my chest as it continued to do so. For nearly ten long, _agonizing _seconds the droning tone of the call continued… before it was picked up by the recipient.

I release a breath I didn't know I was holding, and before they can say anything I speak.

"Hey pops."

"_Don… is that you?"_ The voice that burbles out through the speakers is unmistakably that of Acacius Arc. From his voice I can tell that I'd probably woken him up, but I feel what I'm about to say is a bit more important than sleep at the moment. He'd been waiting for years, after all.

"Yea it's me, old man." I confirm, my gaze shifting to the tattoos on my fingers only momentarily as I lost myself in thought. Almost instantly I snap myself back out and do my best to steel myself for what's to come.

"_What's up?"_

There's no admonishment or yelling like there would've been all those years ago… and I feel _that_ is what truly pushed me over the edge.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer."

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**Chapter 1 µµµµµµµµµµµµµµ END µµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµ**

_Eh? EEEHHH? _

_Not too shabby, right? _

_I think you can see where the obvious influence of Team Skull is present here, with Jaune taking up the mantle of Guzma. Even still, there are some very obvious differences as to the character behind the team and the leader himself. In all honesty, I guess I just kinda liked the look of them and when I took inspiration, they just evolved into something different with a similar shell. The clothes are epic, and I guess that's pretty much the only thing that stuck around from Team Skull._

_The story will focus heavily on Jaune, or __**Don**__, rather, instead of the dynamic of Black Diamonds. That might be a project for another time, but I digress. I'm pretty good at revealing stuff as I go along with a story, so you can expect many hints and cryptic references about what might have happened up until I reveal it entirely._

_Unless you can figure it out before then. If you CAN, don't spoil it or anything for the others pls._

_Moving on, I find myself very pleased with how this story is shaping up in my mind already. I'm eager to know what everyone thinks about it, so please leave a comment or something for me if you feel like it. Comments really make me feel closer to everyone, and I greatly enjoy reading them and responding in the next chapter. _

_Also, let me know what you think about the music. In my story High Tides, I usually try to set the mood with songs and stuff, but since this is a more serious story in tone, I'm not sure if I should keep that up. Let me know if you like that or don't like it, it would really help in the long run._

_Anyway, I guess that's all for now. I hope all of ya had a good time reading this, and are eager for more to come!_

_For now, Shore out._


	2. The Roundabout Deceiver

_Woah._

_I think that's the only word I can really use to describe the reception I got to this story, which I'm incredibly stoked and excited about! In just the first upload, it's over-taken my other story entirely. That's awesome, people._

_Serious notes though, I really appreciate all of you enjoying my story so much. I feel this is a good indication of how much I've grown since I started writing on this sight, and all of the support on this story really confirmed it for me. I've got a few announcements that I'll put at the very end of the chapter if that's something you're interested in, so I'll let you read them at your leisure once you finish this chapter. I'll also be responding to reviews in the endnote as well since there were so many, which I greatly enjoyed reading. Thank you all for those._

_Anyway, let's get on with it. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the last, so have at it._

**Chapter 2 µµµµµµµµ The Roundabout Deceiver µµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµ**

Sneaking roughly ninety people without any concrete documentation into a new kingdom should be pretty difficult. Not to mention shipments of ammunition and weaponry without permits.

At least, that's what I thought before Acacius told me not to worry about it. He was surprisingly not stressed in the slightest when I told him about my plan while we met the next day. Instead of surprised shock or even anything as mundane as a frown, he just accepted the fact that all the members of Black Diamond would be tagging along for the journey to Vale. He kept that wide smile on his face and told me that he'd take care of it.

While the idea of arguing or questioning him on his plan of action sounded promising, I just accepted it and went along with packing all of our assets up for travel.

In the evening of that day everything in possession of my group was packed and ready to roll. Our spare weapons, ammunition, what miniscule amounts of Dust we had, and of course the ludicrous amount of lien we'd scrounged from everywhere in the city was all ready for transport. A short two-day trek after that, and the entire group had made it to the nearest port town in Mistral, one by the name of Kaioh. While I felt skeptical about just how well the entire thing would go, the fact that Acacius walked onto the airship with the confidence of a man _not_ helping smuggle not only people, but weaponry into Vale forced me to trust him on this.

To my surprise, not a single question was asked not only while boarding, but also once we'd docked at the port of my former kingdom. None of our crates were screened either.

Naturally, I found this suspicious… but I chose not to comment on it. Only two possibilities really exist as to how we got away with this so cleanly. One, would be that the security of the Kingdom of Vale is so supremely shit that literally no one gets so much as asked for identification when traveling. The second and much more likely of them, is that the old man pulled strings in the legal system to get my entire group overlooked by the authorities.

Now, I know for a _fact _that Vale is much more strict than Mistral when it comes to anything involving the law. That's one of the main reasons that myself and everyone associated with the Black Diamonds aren't wanted criminals of the kingdom. Racist assholes or not, the people of Po village _did_ legally own everything there property-wise. I'm sure that despite the obvious evidence of slavery, there were a few idiots that made it to the next town over and tried to blow the whistle on us.

Thing is, Mistral could give less of a fuck about small settlements that aren't inside the walls, so we got away scot-free. One of the many things I like about Mistral, actually. Free to do pretty much anything you want as long as you don't try to assassinate any royalty.

Anyway, no need to get off track. It's obvious that Acacius pulled strings to get the Black Diamonds here, the real question is _how._

In the end, I chose not to comment on it. The answer is _also_ an obvious one if you know just how far back the Arc name goes with the royal lineage in Vale. If he chose to call in a favor after all this time, then that's his business. I'm _definitely _not gonna tell him not to help me out.

All after our arrival seemed like a blur to me. Meetings with informants and property owners ran rampant over the past days, and throughout most of it Acacius stayed by not only my side, but also the side of my family. That's all a story for another time, though.

Right now, my full focus is on just how goddamn annoying and cramped these docks look.

The long strip of concrete is absolutely bustling with people of all types. Nearly everyone I can see is in a group with who I can only assume are their relatives. I can hear the heartfelt goodbyes from here, and I can't tell you how weird it is to see these displays in public. I'm not one to show too much affection, in case you can't tell by now. I'm honestly surprised that the day I had about a week ago didn't hospitalize me… or at the very least leave me pissed for the next few days. Way to mushy and touchy-feely for my tastes, you get me?

So given how all this affection makes my fucking skin crawl, I'm not clumped in with the rest of the crowd on the docks. Instead, I'm waiting just a bit away from them, impatiently wasting time while waiting for my ride to arrive. Absently, I fish my scroll out of my pocket and flick it open, eager to find _something _to do. Instantly, I'm hit with a wave of messages from the Black Diamonds that also managed to get their hands on a scroll. Among the wave of messages were members like Frost, Melody, Cotton and even Mochi, all wishing me luck. There were many others, of course. If everyone in the group had a scroll in their possession, I have little doubt that even the most composed members would send one my way. Hell, if _Mochi_ of all people sent me a good luck message, then there's no reason the others wouldn't.

Just as I'm about to start responding, however… a voice knocks me out of my own world.

"There you are Don. Too crowded on the platform for ya?"

Hearing my… _name_ stated towards me, I turn around and flick my gaze up from the device in my hands. It's with a bit of shock that I recognize the familiar armor and blonde hair walking towards me from the street.

"You came to see me off, pops?" I ask to the Arc, now standing only two feet from me. There, he stops for a moment. His hands find purchase on his hips, and with a large smile on his face he gazes at me with a shine in his eyes.

"Well I couldn't let you go without a proper send off. It's my fault you're going in the first place!" At this he let out a good-natured chuckle, practically dying at something that was in no way a joke. At his very dad-like action, I can't resist the urge to roll my eyes at him. "Jokes aside, I came to tell you that everyone's gotten settled in without much problem. Having no neighbors to worry about makes that easier, but still."

His tone shift didn't go unnoticed by me. These past few days have been busy for everyone involved with Black Diamond. To my surprise, one Acacius Arc has become closely related with us over that time. Aside from sitting in on meetings with contacts at my side, he'd also taken it upon himself to help my members get settled into Vale seamlessly.

"Good. Means I ain't gotta worry about em' for the next couple days." I sigh in a relieved fashion. I'd never admit it, but being away from all of them has me a bit wound tight. Wonder when that happened?

"Exactly. The ones in charge of munition count already scheduled a shipment of Dust and ammo, so I'd say everything is going smooth as can be." Satisfaction is prevalent in his tone. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say he's pleased that all the hard work is finally paying off. In the next second though, his eyes were wide in realization.

"Oh! Before I forget-" Here he pauses briefly and turns ever so slightly, arm reaching behind him. Around his waist was a leather belt, holding various pouches of the same material. His hand gravitated towards the largest one of them, and after a moment of searching around, it seems he'd found whatever it was. "-here, I think this belongs to you now."

From behind him, he pulled back his arm. With it, clutched in his armored grasp, came a book of all things. Red, worn leather encompassed the book, various scratches and some gouges resting along the surface. The red coloring was faded from exposure to the sun, but none of that was what really caught my attention. Instead, it was the name emblazoned across the face of the cover that really drew my eyes.

"That's…" I trail off without finishing, but Acacius is more than able to end my sentence.

"Exactly. One of the books belonging to Jupiter Arc." Before I can take the text myself, he jumps in and deposits the book directly in my hands. The leather feels coarse, and considering its age and history, I'm sure I can guess why. "My Father… your Grandfather."

This notebook has probably seen more battles than _I _have.

"I'd honestly forgotten about that part of the deal." I comment, still staring intently at the wealth of information in my hands. Turning it over, I take in all the marks on the surface of the book before Acacius sees fit to give his input.

"As had I. With everything going on, it's no surprise that the both of us forgot about it." He states, raising his hand to rub the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "I thought I should give you the one that I keep on me before you leave."

For a moment longer, I stare at the text. I'd honestly never seen a book that I'd wanted quite as much as this one… and now it's _mine._

Finally though, I manage to snap my self out of my mind and back into reality. Looking up from the small piece of history I now possess, I see the face of my father. He's looking at me like he's seeing a ghost, honestly, but I can't remember him looking so happy. I can imagine why, actually. Even with my style, I'm sure seeing me with the sword and the book makes me cut a familiar figure. Feeling vastly more confident of myself than a moment ago, I deign to give him a response.

"Thanks, I appreciate it old man." I say gratefully. I'm sure I would have remembered it eventually and then hounded his ass over them, but this saves me a lot of trouble. With the book now in a firm grip, I watch as he opens his mouth to continue the conversation.

Before he could speak though, a massive blast of sound emerged from behind me. His gaze broke from me and focused on something, and my own attention followed suit. Turning around just slightly to be able to see, I find myself faced with my method of transportation. What some might call a massive example of the technology we're capable of, _I _find myself comparing it to a giant metal coffin. Docked at the one of the designated ports of Vale is an airship. As far as I can tell, it's a massive contraption of metal, both dark gray and a dirty white. Massive, extended wings hang off of an equally monumental body, all supported in the air by some technology or another. Personally, I think it looks like some kinda sky whale, but you'll never hear me say that out loud. It looks like the gates opened a good minute or so ago, as while there are still people pouring into the sky transport there aren't nearly as many people clogging up the platform as the last time I checked. Eyeing my ride for only a second more, I quickly crouch into a Mistrali style squat to better have access to the black duffle bag that's been at my feet since I got here. It's a pretty simple thing, if exceedingly large. The only thing that really stands out about it is the fact that I'd secured Gramps' sword along the side of it. Figured it'd be easier to carry that way, in case I have to sit down or anything. Honestly, if I tried my Mistrali crouch while that thing was on my back, it'd either fall off the magnetic plate or I'd crouch too fast and slam my damn face into the ground. Unzipping it, I carefully shove the notebook of my dearest person inside. Among clothes, shoes, and a few other necessities it will remain for now. Once done, I zip the bag back up and call it done. Calmly, I raise back up to my feet from the crouch and bring the bag with me, resting it on my left shoulder easily as I do so.

"Suppose that's you, right?" Acacius comments with a subdued smile on his face, significantly less pronounced than before. Now back on my feet, I turn to him and eye him carefully.

He honestly hasn't changed too much over all the years I've been gone as far as physical aspects go. I take a moment to study him once more, even deciding to lessen my natural glare for the time being. In hindsight, I should have realized that something changed as soon as I saw him.

Mother dearest _hates_ beards, after all.

"I guess so, pops. I'll see ya around." I announce, already turning to board the ship in wait… only to pause mid-step. My mind flashes back to just how much he'd helped me over the last week. In that same thread, my family passes through my thoughts. On the spot, I make up my mind, and while still facing the ship I look back to him one last time.

"Doubt you wanna go see the other Arcs anytime soon, so feel free to crash with the Black Diamonds at our apartment complex if you want. Talk to Melody if you need something to do."

With that, I start my trek to the platform without waiting for an answer. If he decides to crash with the family at our brand-new complex we'd bought out, then that's fine with me. If he _really_ wants to face that rotten woman on his own terms though, then that's his business. As long as he keeps my name outta his mouth around her, then that's his choice to make. I'd honestly rather her think I'm dead than somewhere in Remnant.

"I think I'll take you up on that, _son._" Acacius says, following up his statement with a light chuckle.

I nearly stumble at that, but I force my gait to remain unchanged. Instead of responding, I simply wave him off behind my shoulder, continuing on my way with my head straight forward. Even though I'm put off at the word, I can't deny the fact a smile spread on my face at just how fuckin' well he played that card.

The walk to the dock was short, and before I knew it I was at the entrance of the airship. All the other people had boarded, and it seems I was the last. A devious part of my mind wanted me to see just how long I could stand here before a staff member got pissed off and told me to either board or fuck off, but I manage to ignore that and enter the barrier of the doorway.

Now, nothing that I'd seen so far had been any different from the airship that the Black Diamonds took from Mistral to Vale. Same colors, same construction, same everything really. The moment I made it past the doorway, however, the difference was more noticeable than ever. For one, the decorations of this airship are much more 'high-class' than the other. As I walk into the main hall-like body of the ship, I notice benches lining the walls with massive windows just behind them on either side. Rugs, polished fixtures, this ship had all that shit and more. Holograms broadcasting the news played over some of the windows, but I tuned that out near instantly.

The other big difference between this ride and the one from Mistral, though, would have to be the presence of an obnoxious level of color. Bright yellows, deep reds, royal blues, forest greens, pretty much every shade or tint I can imagine was laid out before my eyes. And if you want my _honest_ opinion on such a patriotic spread of personality-expressing styles?

It's pretty alright. I'd prefer to see the familiar black and white styles _accented _with these hair colors on some of my members instead of a bunch of people I couldn't give less of a fuck about, but them's the breaks. Instead of the family, they're nothing but strangers. So yeah, no problem with the melting pot of colors and styles here… nah, the _real _problem I have here is how _loud they are._

If the combination of violent colors weren't enough to give me a damn headache, then the volume definitely will be. If nothing else, I'll at least be real pissed off when we land if I get too far into the blood-clots of people littering the ship. After a second of viewing the crowd all the way from over here, an unmatched scowl starts to spread across my face. Silently, I pass my gaze over the area, searching for any empty spot or benches that I could steal away from easily intimidated people. To my immense happiness, I find just that. Just a short walk away from me is a completely vacant corner in the room, towards the very front of it. While I'd much rather not be here at all, I can't really be choosy at the moment.

I begin to walk towards my new goal, easily hefting the weight of my bag. Idly, I reach a hand into my jacket pocket and retrieve my current pack. Deftly I flip open the small package and shake loose one of the sticks inside, gazing at the action until one is in the proper position. Once I'd succeeded, I bring the package closer to my mouth and grab the stick between my lips, letting it rest there for now. In the next seconds, I'd put the small box back in the pocket of my jacket and reached for the lighter in my pocket. When I'd retrieved it, I finally found myself at the empty corner. Instead of going ahead and enjoying my vice, I took the time to set my duffle bag on the ground next to me and get into the position of the ever comfortable Mistrali crouch. My next moments were spent lighting up the cigarette and taking a small puff, then spinning the stick between my thumb and forefinger as I exhale the smoke.

Cigarettes. Something I picked up within my first few months in Mistral. For the longest time, I'd smoked the cheapest and probably most dangerous ones I could get my hands on. Believe it or not, I was even pretty embarrassed to have this as a habit once people started joining me in my travels. While I probably shouldn't, I actually take pride in being able to hide it from the Black Diamonds for so long. A smile spreads across my face as I stare at the lit end though, remembering just what happened when they caught me.

It was actually pretty recent that I got found out. I think it was nearly a year ago that I got caught in the act, something that I was pissed about at the time. As coincidental as it sounds, it was actually Melody that found my ass out. The motherly one, out of all of them had to be the one to find me. I have to suppress a chuckle because of the memory of her reaction, since she more or less flew off the handle and smashed me up against the side of the head with a sauce pan. Immediately, she started trying to convince me not to smoke the things. At first, I was stubborn as usual to the idea.

She wore me down eventually though.

Nowadays, these little things are about the only thing that the Black Diamonds as a group can convince me to splurge on for myself. These aren't just any ol' ciggies. They're some of the most _insanely expensive _little shits out there. For good reason, but I can still complain about the price if I want to. I take a moment to take a long drag of the stick, burning up a good length of the thing in the process, before I exhale the smoke once more.

'_Hard to believe these motherfuckers don't kill ya.'_ I think to myself, looking at the thing between my fingers intently. Completely white, with just two rings along the filter for decoration. One was golden, and the other was a rich brown.

I won't even pretend to know the science behind these things, so I won't get too into it. Long story short, they ain't got nicotine at all in em'. Logic says that inhaling smoke in _any_ way into your lungs is still gonna hurt you in the long run, but not these. I'm sure it has something to do with Dust, but I'm not too interested in stuff like that… I also don't _remember _it, but that's not the point.

I'd say the real point, is that not only do they not kill me, but they also smell and taste like caramel… at least _these_ ones do. The wonders of modern technology, right?

I take another puff of my cig before I fish around in my pocket and bring out my scroll. Since I'm in it for the long haul here, might as well dish out some responses to those messages. Before I flick it open, however, I decide to caution a glance upwards to the crowd to see exactly how everyone is doing. I felt the jolt of the airship taking off just a few moments ago, if anyone's about to blow chunks it might be funny to see it happen. A sick smile spreads over my face at the thought of one of these colorful people running around covered in puke. As soon as I raise my gaze from myself, I catch sight of a girl clad in pink _literally_ picking up a tired looking boy in green and _violently_ shaking him.

Needless to say, I immediately decided that I didn't want anything to do with what just happened and dropped my eyes back to my scroll. Everything about what I just saw seemed like a major hassle that I don't want in my life.

Next thing I did was go through my messages. While the ones I remembered from Black Diamond members were certainly there, so were many others. I took the time to respond to each one of them, and once done I even found confirmation messages from the ammunition and Dust dealers directed to me. I answered those as well, easily confirming the transactions. Taking a moment, I glance up from my scroll once more towards the crowd for only a second before gluing them back to my device. As I'm about to move onto another message, I pause. I caution one more glance back up, and to my shock, my eyes were fucking right the first time.

Damn ship is nearly empty.

I must have spent more time on the scroll than I thought… oh well. At least time went by quickly in my eyes. Speaking of eyes, as I shove my scroll back into my pocket, mine catch the sight of a freshly lit cigarette in my hands.

'_How I managed to do that absentmindedly I don't think I'll ever be able to figure out. Does it even matter?_' As I mull on these thoughts, I stand up to my feet and take the duffle bag with me, once again letting it rest fully on my shoulder. Silently, I put the cig between my lips once more and let it rest there as I make my way off the ship. Just like when boarding, I was saved the trouble of weaving through the crowd. The walk was silent, and extremely nice after such a rocky flight in my own opinion.

Eventually, I make it out of the ship and am greeted to my first sight of Beacon Academy. Laid out in front of me is the stone dock that we'd made landing at, and just beyond that a singular stone path leading all the way to the grounds of the school. Instead of bumbling around, I simply adjust my duffle bag a bit and continue on. As I walk, I pass by large gardens and many light posts, each of the fixtures having a holographic flag hanging from them. After a small set of steps, I finally come into what looks to be one of the more populated areas: a small circular area in the path, which lets the walkway branch off into three new directions. The sight was nice, I'm sure. The crisp green landscapes mixed with the well-kept walkways, as well as the sight of the main campus in the distance was sure to inspire or intimidate quite a few people.

I, on the other hand, don't really care about stuff like that. Buildings are nice and all that shit, but why should I bother '_contemplating artistic choices_' when I could just ignore it? It does absolutely nothing for me.

Although in my mind I was busy wondering about what secrets the world of art held from me, my body didn't stop moving. Outside of my mind, I kept walking in my typical gait, hefting the bag on my shoulder all along the way. Once I _do_ come out of my thoughts, I raise my hand up to grab the cigarette hanging between my lips. Taking it between my fingers, I give it a light flick to get the ash off the end. Just as I was about to place it right back where it was, however, the outside world finally caught my attention with full force. At the sound of a shrill voice off to the side of me, a scowl pops up onto my face almost as quickly as I turned my eyes towards the perp. A young white-haired girl stood with a case in her hand, dressed dominantly in white and running her damn trap at some kid dressed in red and black. I don't really focus too much on their word, to be honest. Instead, I mostly focus on the feeling of annoyance rising in my chest at having this loud-ass running her mouth, and the fact that she's shaking a stopped glass bottle full of Dust around.

With every shake, more Dust escapes the primitive storage method and flies into the air instead. In the next second, I raise my arm back up with cigarette in hand, and take a deep puff. The entire time, Snowflake continues to shake the vial in the now standing kids' face, creating air-born clouds of dust with every swing of her arm. Almost like clockwork, as soon as I exhale the smoke from my lungs, Red starts sniffling and goes cross-eyed.

Naturally, I take that as my que and continue along the path without a second thought. I know exactly where a sneeze takes you around Dust, and I'm not into it at all. Ignoring the explosion behind me with fearsome dedication to 'Not Giving A Fuck', I simply keep walking with the cig resting between my lips.

'_Not even a day in and I've found so many people to stay away from._' I think melodramatically to myself, already thinking up a spiel about how shit my stay here is gonna be. I stalk past a girl with _truly_ impeccable tastes in clothes as I think that, but don't waste any time eyeing her beyond the second it took to pass. Dressed mostly in black and white, the only thing that breaks the illusion of her possibly being a member of the Black Diamonds are the purple gradient leggings. As I pass her by, I have to suppress a smile as a thought shoots through my mind.

'_Wonder what those stuffy-ass teachers would do if I hopped off the airship with the family?_' The short answer would probably be police action, but who knows? Maybe they'd just kick me out of school.

In all honesty, I feel the laugh would be more than worth it. I wouldn't have to waste anymore time here, at the very least.

The walk to the auditorium went by quickly and without anymore explosions. While most might focus on the school rapidly approaching or even the people around them, I paid neither any mind at all. Along the way, the only thing I really stopped to do was unlatch my weapon from the duffle bag and instead set it firmly on the magnetic backplate I'd now taken to wearing under my clothes. Finally though, I managed to cross the threshold to the clotted area. People were swarmed everywhere in the room, easily hundreds of faces and stories. Just like the walk here, however, I paid them no mind. I pushed past a good amount of people easily, silently noting the armored redhead that's been eyeing me since I got here. Once I'd found a prime spot, I set about claiming it for myself… via glares and aggressive eye contact of course. Gradually a bubble formed as the smoking combined with my attitude and probably my looks forced the potential students away from me.

In the end, I was left with a nice swath of open space and some room to breathe. All in a days work, honestly. I feel an intimidating smile spread across my face at my actions, and I don't bother stopping it. The minutes tick by, and I simply wait

All of those nice, _heart-warming _feelings more or less vanish once I catch the sound of a vaguely familiar voice. My heart all but drops into my stomach as the tone of that same girl from earlier enters my ears, and my smile turns into a scowl as I search for the offender. Turns out, I didn't need to look long at all. Only about fifteen feet away from me were three girls all grouped together, two of them being familiar. In order, we have Blondie dressed revealingly, the child dressed in red, and the snowy owl dressed like some kinda goddamn princess. For the next few moments I watched with furrowed brow as Red and White argue back and forth, my annoyance with their persistence growing steadily and I'm sure _visibly _as well. Just as I was content to either ignore them completely or just move away from them, something happened that caught my full attention.

Without looking at me in the slightest, the one in white pointed _directly at me_ over her shoulder and continued to talk to the others.

The longer she had the audacity to hold this, the deeper my scowl got. By the time she let up, my anger had skyrocketed completely and I _swear_ I could feel my eye start to twitch.

'_Little Snowflake thinks she can talk shit about people without getting stomped, eh?!_' Normally, my thoughts would've been cut off by the fact that some jackass up on stage started to talk into a mic, but my mind was much too offended to concentrate at all. Instead, I spent the entire time with my eyes all but glued to the girl with the gall to gossip about me _right _in front of my fuckin' face. The coming moments were spent breathing deeply while the man on stage talked, trying to regain at least some semblance of calm before I do anything. Eventually he switched off with a strict-looking woman, and even as she began to talk my blood was still running hot. Instead of dwelling on it any longer, I simply throw my gaze up to the chandeliers above us and take a long drag of my last cig for today.

Two is more than enough for me.

The action was surprisingly calming, actually enough for me to clear my head just a bit. Soon enough, I managed to hear the tail end of the announcement; something about sleeping here, directions to the locker rooms and finally the cafeteria. Lucky that all the important information was given by the blonde up there, but I won't think too hard on it. I'll take it as it is.

Now with a calmness in my heart, I turn to look at the group that birthed my ire in the first place… only to find them a bit closer than before. A moment of confusion was all it took before I figured out exactly what must have gone down. Apparently in my blind anger, I started inching closer to the Snowflake without even realizing it. If I'd still been beyond pissed, I have no doubt I'd grab her by the back of her jacket and intimidate the absolute shit out of her for talking about me with her friends. Instead, with my much calmer mind comes creativity in the form of payback. The gears in my brain turn as my fingers grip what remains of the cigarette, and my signature glare drills into the white-clad annoyance intently. Those gears _keep_ turning until the target turns around to walk towards the exit of the auditorium. With her other side now perfectly exposed to me, my eye catches something sharp and pointy on the side of her fuckin' head.

Immediately, all gears and cogs fall into place.

Silently, and with a scowl to challenge god itself, I pinch the cigarette butt between my fingers and give it an incredibly strong flick. The force of the action sends the trash flying surprisingly fast. With as much practice as I have flicking those things across a room, aiming was no problem at all. It flew true, and in less than a second had impaled itself directly on one of the pointy tips of her hair piece. Instead of laughing or pointing it out, I simply watch her walk away with a sadistic grin plastered on my face.

Such a petty comeback, and one she's _sure_ to trace back to me if she's smart in any way. Normally I'd laugh, but I just feel too satisfied with the knowledge that she's walking among her peers like nothing's wrong with trash in her hair. So instead, I settle for a sigh of satisfaction.

"That'll teach ya." I mutter out absentmindedly before continuing on with the day, completely satiated by the action of petty revenge. Before I make it even a few steps, I _do _hear something vaguely like a laugh behind me. At the same time, I feel a stare against me. Needless to say, I just ignore it and continue on.

The rest of my travels around Beacon were nothing special. First stop was the locker room, where I just chose the first one that was empty along the wall. Without looking at any of the others, I simply shoved my sword and duffle bag in and shut the door. Next, one of the better stops of the entire day, the cafeteria. After gathering my food, I was thankfully able to secure myself a completely empty table without even needing to toss anybody onto the floor. Apparently, I'd gotten there earlier than the others, so I took my luck in stride. Given that the food was _completely and utterly __**free**_, I took a bit more than usual.

While eating, I felt justified in saying that it was the best part of the entire Beacon experience so far. No one screeching, arguing, or just being all around annoying to bother me. Just myself and my plate. Well, that's what I _thought_, until I began getting this familiar tingling feeling just at the nape of my neck. It's a feeling that I've grown to know very well, and one that usually means only one thing.

'_Someone starin' at me…?_' Half-heartedly I begin looking around the room in search of the person looking at me. To my surprise, I notice that the tables had filled up quite a bit… and to my _satisfaction_, no one has sat at my own.

Could it be the tattoos that scare them away? Perhaps the bleached hair? Nah, it's probably the fact that my glare is damn near always visible. I'm not sad over their reluctance to sit with me though. In fact, I'm very happy! Just means they won't try to get in my way if they can do otherwise.

Eventually, I give up on finding the person that's stealing looks at me. In the end, if they want to stare at me they're free to do just that even if I don't like it. Quickly, I finish my dinner and vacate the cafeteria. The next hour was spent freely, stalking the halls with my hands buried deeply in my pockets and a glare on my face. It wasn't too bad of a time, honestly. Not too long after that, I noticed the sun getting low in the sky and immediately redirected myself back to the locker room.

Roughly twenty minutes later, I walked back through the doorway of the auditorium. Instead of my normal jacket and sweats combo, I was wearing only three things. My white short-sleeved fishnet shirt stayed, but my sweatpants were replaced with black shorts that stopped nearly at mid-calf. On my feet, I wore some black and white flip-flops and nothing else. As I walked through the room, I spread my gaze around slowly. The tall windows lining the walls were filtering in dark pink rays of light, shining over what few people were present aside from me. Some were already set up for the night, and others seem to have just arrived like myself. The chandeliers were already lit, as were the candles affixed to the walls even though it wasn't totally dark out yet.

Before I got too far into the room, however, something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. A simple table, short and stout, tucked away in the corner of a thick wooden support beam against the wall. It was a cozy little space, in my mind… and definitely one that I'd like to have for myself. With a confident quality to my step, I walked over to the small area and made myself at home. On the table was a candle opera stocked with its namesake.

'_Nice find._' I think to myself, inordinately pleased with the discovery. Those candles so close to the ground will make it a lot easier once it gets totally dark. I comfortably position myself sitting with my back against the wooden beam, and then take into my hands the red bound book that I'd carried here all the way from the locker room. The light from the window behind me shines helpfully on the cover, allowing me to freely read the name of one of the few people in this world to truly gain my respect.

The name Jupiter Arc rests proudly emblazoned on the cover.

I feel nervousness in my heart, just at holding this book. In an instant, though, I'd steeled myself. A shake of the head later, and I'd simply opened the cover and began to read. The words were incredible to me, reminding me of _exactly_ the way he talked and acted. Time flew by at a fast pace, and before I really knew it reading the pages got more difficult. With the stress being put on my eyes, I finally look up from the book and see the world around me, instead of the one I'd built in my head.

The room was filled up now, something I'm pissed that I hadn't noticed yet. Beyond that, the windows across from me had darkened considerably, no longer shining the pink that it was before. The sun has set, I guess. Without uttering a word, I reach into my pocket with my left hand and come back out with that same shitty lighter that I always have on me. Calmly, I set the book in my hand to the side and reach towards the candle opera next to me, already flicking the fire to life in my hands. As I lean in, I finally turn towards the object just to make sure I light the wick and not the fuckin' curtains instead. What I see there, though, has me pause in slight surprise. A lit match is held to the candle on the far side, lighting it up just as I light the candle on my side.

As the flame of my lighter burns the wick of the candle, my gaze focuses on the match. Slowly, almost in _shock,_ my sight trails up a delicate hand and the soft cloth of the sleeve to rest directly on their face. Yellow eyes look back at me, set into a nicely pale face framed by wavy black locks. For a fraction of a second, I completely freeze.

"The chick with the nice fashion sense." I state simply, words falling out in a drawl. In response, she just blinks. Before she can say anything, however, I draw back my hand and store away the lighter, having already lit the middle candle. Swiftly, I turn back to my book and continue where I left off… leaving no room for conversation. Thankfully, she apparently doesn't see fit to comment and remains silent.

The perfect sitting companion, really. Quiet and completely detached from me, what the hell's not to like?

A moment passes, and although my eyes are firmly in place on the page, they don't move. The reason is a simple one, and also one that I've felt many times before. A tingling at the back of my neck is stopping me from focusing on the words in front of me, and I already know what that means. Someone is staring at me. Probably the same person from the cafeteria, if I'm getting this same reaction. Reluctantly I give up on focusing on the journal for now, and instead I cast my gaze upwards. Slowly, I gauge the room, eyeing every person I see carefully. Eventually though, I find the perpetrator.

Tall, blonde, and _absolutely_ familiar at this point. The same girl from earlier today during the announcement is staring intently at me from across the room, walking towards us with a quirky gait as she drags the other one behind her. The kid isn't quite as red as before without that cloak, but the nickname still stands strong. As I see the smile on the blonde's face, several things come to realization. The fact that the friends of that really annoying Dust girl are walking towards me basically becomes the flagship of my thoughts. Next up: the idea that _she _was most likely the person staring at me in the cafeteria. Behind that, I get hit with the knowledge that they're probably coming over for a reason.

That they might want to _talk_ with me… or annoy me to hell. Both are the same punishment really, as far as I'm concerned.

Everything about this is a red goddamn flag. Casually, though, I sneak a glance at the ever silent girl next to me, and am quite pleased with what I see. She's still got her nose stuck deep in that book of hers, and I can guarantee she has no idea what's coming for us. Turning away from her, I simply close the journal in my hands.

"Too many…" I mutter under my breath, right before standing up and just walking away from the situation. These girls are gonna have to try a _lot_ harder if they wanna trap me in a conversation against my will. I'm _me,_ for fucks sake.

The chick with gradient socks is just gonna have to take the heat for this one. I'll remember you well, so rest in peace. I'll live on in your honor.

With an amused smirk on my face, I make my way down the path of the room. Eventually, my path diverges from the free foot space and I walk over to one of the curved staircases leading to the upper-level balcony of the auditorium. I don't bother to see how rude the girls must think I am, because I _really_ just can't bring myself to care. Instead, I continue step by step. Once I was finally at the top, I noticed how dark it really was. Not a single candle was lit on the upper level, probably to discourage students from separating themselves all the way up here. As I swept my eyes over the level though, I could see that their measure plainly didn't work. Aside from myself, I count at least three other people up here. All asleep already, but that's beside the point. Quickly, I find myself a spot against the wall and away from the others up here, leaning heavily on the wood at my back.

As I fish my scroll out of my pocket, the evidence that I'd bailed at just the right time became very clear. From beyond the balcony, yelling and shouting blasted out into the room… _familiar_ voices powering the shouts.

I can already tell this is going to be a _long_ fuckin' night.

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Morning came fast after sleep, and with it, were the daily routines. Brush my teeth, shower, get dressed, eat breakfast; all that good shit, really. All throughout the process, I made it a point to avoid certain people that might waste my time. Chief among them: A blonde, a redhead, and a pseudo-Noir. So far, I'd managed to avoid them and everyone else at all the turns, too! I'm a bit proud of it, actually.

So it's only natural that when I walk through the entrance and into the large locker room to retrieve my weapon, that my heart would drop dramatically upon seeing Pink and Green first. Instead of hesitating, though, I keep my steps steady and stalk right past em'. Up next were also people I'd been hoping to avoid, Yellow and Red. Thankfully, they weren't looking towards the space between them at the moment. The one flaunting her body had one of her legs hiked up onto the bench and was busy with her boot. The red one, the kid, was loading up bullets into the belt around her waist. Both had their attentions focused elsewhere… and that brings a sick smile to my face. Happily, I take the stroke of luck and walk past them as well, now busy scanning the lockers for number 636.

I continue the search for quite a few feet, putting more distance between myself and the four problematic people behind me. Step after step I continue scanning for my number, until finally I find my target. Sadly, I also found a _big_ problem right in front of it.

Talking vividly in front of my locker, was the annoying pale girl from yesterday. Her victim was some tall redheaded woman in overtly Mistralian armor, politely listening to everything said to her… although she looked pretty detached. Many people would contemplate just what to do in a moment like this. They'd consider asking them nicely to move, perhaps introducing themselves to the ladies, or even _waiting_ until they were done to interject.

I did none of those things.

For a moment, I stood staring at them in silence. Slowly though, as their one-sided conversation dragged on, I began to get annoyed. Gradually, my eyes set themselves in their best glare, and my mouth was tugged into my deepest frown. I believe its payback time.

Steadily I advance on my locker, and immediately both of their attentions were on me. The redhead watched me with a surprising amount of curiosity, not moving in the slightest at my approach. The one in the dress, however, backed up a step in surprise, putting her nearly out of my way. Her face showed annoyance with just a tinge of disgust, but her tone showcased that so much more clearly.

"_Excuse_ you, what do you think you're doing? You're _far_ too close!"

I don't respond in the slightest. Once I'm close enough, however, I reach out with my hand and type out a short password onto the holo-keypad to open up the locker. The effect is immediate, as the door swings out fast and opens fully. The girl, still being close to me, actually gets beamed across the forehead by the door of the locker, and that sends her stumbling back in shock.

"Oh my!" The gasp came courtesy of the tall redhead next to me, a hand now hovering over her mouth with wide eyes. It was probably just a knee-jerk reaction for her, but I don't focus on that. Instead, I grasp the handle of my weapon and anchor it onto my back. I don't even try to hold back the chuckle at the shocked look of the Noir look-alike, and close the door of the locker in a swift exchange.

"I can't believe you just did that! I can't say that I've ever met someone so rude in my _life_!" She fumes at me, shaking her free fist angrily while the other rubs at her forehead. Her face is nothing but flabbergasted anger, with a deep scowl taking a good portion of it up.

With an intimidating smile on my face, I glare down at her and match her easily.

"It's pretty damn rude that you were talkin' about me to those buddies of yours behind my back yesterday too, Snowflake. You ain't got room to talk." The gravel in my tone is audible for everyone to hear, and I take deep satisfaction at the taken-aback look plainly displayed on her face. Without anything to stop me now, I begin walking past her for the Beacon cliffs. Before I pass, however, I give her one last piece of wisdom.

"You should stay outta my way, kid. I'm not the kind of person you mess with."

Without so much as a pause, I continue on my way. The walk to get outside the building was short, but the journey to the cliffs wasn't. I more or less passed through most of the campus before I finally set eyes on a small grouping of people along the edge. Among them were multiple people I don't care about, but also two people that were apparently the Headmaster and his assistant. They said nothing as I arrived, so instead of anything else I simply took my place on one of the square plates and shoved my hands into my pockets with a glare shadowing my eyes. Minutes pass by, and as they go more people arrive. Some I don't recognize, some I do. I force them from my mind though, and instead focus on staring down the man with the mug. Since I'd arrived here, I've tried my best to maintain eye contact with him and psych him out. To my surprise though, aside from meeting my gaze once, he's fully committed to pretending that the students don't even exist. Instead of looking at _any_ of us, he's kept his gaze firmly on his scroll with the occasional exception of his mug.

'_He's not bad…_' This game I play is a difficult one for many, but not him. He's played it often, then. Seemingly without warning, he turns to face the lot of us and begins speaking.

"For years, you have all trained to become warriors, and today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." He states evenly, eyeing each and every one of us.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams." His serious assistant bridged, taking over the monologue. "Well, allow us to put an _end_ to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. _Today._"

What?

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." The Headmaster continues, taking back lead of the announcement. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years."

'_You fucking kidding me?_' The thought runs through a heated mind. I'm clenching my teeth at just the _thought_ of being chained to some loser for that amount of time… even though I'm not planning on staying here all four years in the first place. A whine from down the line completely holds the point in my mind, sounding just as displeased as I am about the situation. Maybe more hopelessness than rage, but the thought is all the same.

"Upon landing, you will make your way to the Northern end of the forest." He continues on with no pause for explanation, showing no sign of slowing down. "You will face opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you _will_ die. You will of course be monitored throughout your stay in the Emerald Forest, but we will not intervene."

A small moment of silence burst into existence after this statement, and no one said a thing. The only sound was that of my knuckles cracking under the pressure of my tight fist.

"You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Your task is to bring one of these relics back per partnership-"

While the old man had undoubtedly kept talking, I stopped listening near immediately. In my mind, I'd found the goal of this exercise: to bring back a goddamn relic. That's really all I need. Calmly, and with just as much confidence as ever, I begin walking forward. The talking had stopped at this, and I'm sure most eyes were completely on me now. Closer and closer I got, until finally my actions were addressed by the cape-wearing assistant.

"Young man, exactly _what_ do you think you're doing?" A fierce dedication to order showed in her voice as she geared up to scold me, but she didn't intimidate me. Casually I stopped in my tracks and wheeled my gaze over to her, not caught off guard in the slightest at the intense glare being thrown my way. Instead, I match her glare with a signature one of my own and even ante up with a deep scowl towards her. Her expression doesn't waver in the slightest because of my own, but I'm not put off by it.

"Making my own path. You really think I'll let you two play match-maker with me?" I growl back at her, forcing shock onto her face for just the briefest of seconds.

"You _cannot_ be serious! You think that we'll let-" That brief second passed fast, and once it was over a cold fury was set on her face. Immediately, she started on what I'm sure was gonna be a tangent… only to be interrupted.

"And what would this path consist of?" Questioned the Headmaster, face carefully crafted to be unreadable.

"Getting a relic on my _own_, Gramps. The faster the trip is, the less chance I have of getting stuck with someone I couldn't give less of a fuck about." I state firmly, not lifting my eyes from his. Calmly, he takes a sip from his mug before continuing.

"And what of the person that would have become your partner? They would be left alone, and could possibly fail." He voices again, keeping his voice as blank as possible.

"Then they fail, and would've just gotten in my way in the first place. I'm not gonna let you _chain_ me to someone out of pity for four years. That goes against everything I believe in." Might sound harsh, but I'm completely serious. I've got too much on my mind to play 'diligent partner' to someone that needs babysitting. If the person that fails has a problem with that, then I'll just crush em' in a straight fight. "We're done here."

The entire interaction couldn't have taken more than a few seconds, but the waves sent by it were very noticeable. The assistant I still don't know the name of had dropped her jaw at the few words we shared, and was busy looking at the headmaster like he'd gone crazy. For his part, he simply nodded to me in acceptance and turned back towards the line of potential students behind me. With a familiar gait, I take my steps towards the edge of the cliff. Soon enough, I break out into a short sprint, leaving behind all the whispers and looks I'm sure I received. Once the edge looked close enough, I put myself further into action. The soles of my sneakers pressed heavily into the dirt, and even as I crouched down and leapt far into the open air I'm sure I left deep imprints behind.

Thoughts of just _what_ those others must think of me now passed over my mind briefly, right before being thrown away like trash. Even if they hate me, or think me arrogant and unsavory, it's good for me. The more they avoid me, the more time I have to go back to the Black Diamonds… _and_ search for information.

Quickly, I reached the pinnacle of my arc into the air. Seemingly even faster than that, the wind from my descent became noticeable as it rushed past my face. The fabric of my open jacket was blown back by the air, and I could feel it flapping violently. Even my necklace was jostled from the wind. Seconds pass, and the feeling of falling finally reaches my guts. A large, _real_ smile spreads across my face at the feeling. I can honestly say, falling is pretty fun.

At least, when you're me.

I don't bother with anything like aerodynamics as I go. No attempt at slowing myself by spreading out my limbs, and no moving around mid-air. Instead, I keep my arms raised at their leisure. The force of the air kept them just barely raised above my head like a bird. My legs though, I consciously kept them bent just slightly. I've learned from other falls that landing like a pencil from a high place can even hurt _my_ knees, so I adapted. In what felt like mere seconds, the open blue sky transitioned to green foliage, slowly being completely blotted out by the canopy of the forest. In the next second, I'd made my landing.

The sound was loud like a landslide, and I'm sure a shockwave rushed through the ground. I'd landed in my best crouch, feet first and with bent knees. I'd also managed to put a good amount of the weight on my hands, as they'd shot down to help support my landing as well. The ground around my limbs sunk and shattered from the force of my drop, and in the end four craters were left behind once I'd dug myself out. After taking a few steps forward, I give myself just a second. Casually, I tap the tips of my sneakers against the ground to get rid of any debris, and also clap my hands to get the dirt off.

Thanks to my semblance, I felt damn near nothing.

After a quick stretch, I'm off. Towering trees fly by at high speeds, and heavy thuds sound off every time my feet make contact with the ground. The areas I pass by become different in terms of foliage. Some, the greenery becomes thick and nearly suffocating. In other areas, it's sparse and nearly bare. Either way, if need be it's trampled under the force of my advance. Seconds become minutes, and I'm left to dwell on the one thing that without a doubt let me know the direction of my target. While the old man was extremely experienced in hiding his emotions and thoughts, his body language still isn't perfect. Every now and then, even despite how well he kept it hidden, his eyes would flick here and there.

While announcing our goal to find a temple, he looked in a very _specific_ location in the forest for less than a second. That's all I needed, and that's where I'm headed.

I saw quite a few Grimm during my sprint. A good amount of Beowolves and even an Ursa or two. All were too slow to really catch up to me though, and I more or less left the monsters in the dust. The only close call was relatively recently, with a Beowolf walking closely to my path. Before it even had the chance to notice me, I was already in its bubble. Instead of stopping to fight it, or move out of the way, I simply threw a quick punch at it as I passed by. The force behind the knuckles that dug into the side of its face threw its head to the side violently, and with a sickening crack it fell to the ground. Though I felt a smirk threatening my face because of my ease, I suppress it for later and focus on running.

The seconds passed quickly, and my speed didn't let up. If anything, it increased. So when I finally broke the tree-line, I was beyond relieved. It was a circular outcropping that greeted me, not really a temple as he'd said. I'd honestly put my money on the idea that he exaggerated if I were a gambler. Pillars stood against time, nearly half having crumbled away entirely and the rest supporting a curving arch around the outcropping. The floor was made of stylized stone, bearing some kind of pattern that I didn't care to study, and a broken stone wall framed the back of the podium. I didn't stop my momentum in the least until I was standing in the midst of the ruins itself.

Taking a few deep breaths, I cast my gaze around at the contents of the ruins and study them. Pedestals stood strong in a semi-circle just inside the pillars, each holding an item to call its own. Various chess pieces rested on each one of them, a near complete set of both black and golden trinkets. The pawns and bishops were both in black, while the rooks and knights were in gold. The pattern continues, with each piece having a matching one _also_ in the same color. Slowly, I run my sight over them like water, taking in every detail. Eventually though, I stop on one of them.

"The _golden_ knight piece." I turn the words over in my head as I say them, pretty much testing them out as I do so. A dark chuckle bubbles up in my throat as I'm taken by mirth, and a subdued smirk matches it perfectly. "What'll it take to make _you_ fall, I wonder?"

The question was left unanswered as I swiped the piece up. I quickly shove it in my pocket and shoot a searching look towards the line of foliage at the edge of the clearing. Not a thing out of place, as far as I can tell. No voices, no eyes in the trees, and no rustling bushes either. With my objective done, it's time to make my way back to the cliffs. I adopt a faster pace to my usual walk and go to the direct left of the clearing, back towards the trees at a specific location. While choosing a more direct path would be much faster, I don't want to run the risk of running into anyone that way. Something like that would completely demean the purpose of heading out early, and I can't have that. If I just curve around the area and _then_ shoot for the cliffs, I should be completely safe from any stragglers. The walk to the edge was over fast, and in the blink of an eye I was standing in green shrubbery once again. Just before I started my sprint anew, I look back out of curiosity. Much to my shock, the annoying one and the tall redhead broke through the foliage at that exact moment. As they take stock of the clearing they'd finally found, I don't dwell on it anymore. Instead, I just turn and run.

The pace I set was similarly blistering to before, and the brown bark of the trees shot past me just as quickly. Small shrubs got crushed under foot as I passed through each area, and eventually the curve of my new path became a reality. I'm sure even if I under or even _over_ compensate while turning, I'll still be able to find the cliff pretty easily. How hard is it to miss a massive rockface in the first place?

As my path became straight, my pace increased ever so slightly. I dodged patches of trees here and there, and basically weaved myself through the forest itself. While passing through a fairly small and insignificant clearing, however… I met my very first obstacle. About halfway through the patch of clear land, a large object shot out of the treetops to land about five meters in front of me. Naturally, I stop myself to avoid hitting it. I dig my heels into the ground almost immediately, and the action left small gouges in the land from the carried momentum of my run. As I come to a stop with crouched knees, I finally realize the tremor that went through the ground because of our new arrival, and take the moment to study them.

A Grimm, first and foremost. Jet black flesh and fur were all it had aside from two other colors. Piercing red eyes stared back at me from the kicked-up dirt, and I find myself intrigued. It had long and lanky limbs, but even from here I can tell they're _packed_ with powerful corded muscles. Covering the entirety of its human-like hands were stark-white bone plates, turning the appendage more into an armored glove. The same bone armor capped off the end of its crouched legs, protecting its thumbed feet just as well. A long black tail waves behind the beast as I look at it, and my eyes finally rest on its face. A wide, but comparatively thin coating of bone covers the flesh around its eyes, leaving most of its long face free for me to see. Under the eyes of the Grimm were senseless markings the same color of its eyes, branching out from there and even leeching into the black skin of the creature as well. Its mouth was set into a scowl, showing off large teeth with even larger canines, all as white as snow. As it rested on the ground quite naturally on all four limbs, both pairs of hands putting up its weight, it looked at me for a moment. I could feel it studying me as I did the exact same to it, and offered no resistance. Soon, the moment was gone, and in its place was an unsettling noise. From the depth of its chest, it let out a series of whooping howls that echoed throughout the clearing and even out into the trees. The howls were incredibly loud, so much so that I blinked in surprise at the decibel level. Accompanying that, the hair all over its body puffed up and stood on end, making the beast seem much larger than before. Soon enough, the whooping attracted more of the same sounds, and an entire orchestra of deep howls were carried through the trees and foliage all around us. It only helped confirm my thoughts.

A Pavian Major. A Grimm in the guise of a baboon.

"Don't see one of you every day…" I trail off, completely drowned out by the territorial screeching of the Pavian. Despite nearly being inaudible though, the Grimm seemed to have heard me and taken it as a challenge. The creature charged at me with a whoop, slamming its hands into the ground heavily with every step all the way to me. Once within range, the blood-thirsty beast raised up to its full height, just a few inches taller than me. A long arm rose high into the air, and in less than a second rocketed down to my collarbone with tons of force poured into it.

Just before it made contact, my own hand shot up and stopped it dead in its tracks. My grip around the armored primate hand tightened up, and the Pavian took a moment to glance directly at the captured appendage. It seemed to be in shock for a solid second that its blow had been stopped cold, before that shock evolved into intense anger. It howled directly in my face and attempted the same maneuver with the other hand, thundering it down towards the crown of my head. Likewise, that attempt was also stopped. Just as before, the Pavian glanced at his hand in confusion for a moment, taking in the fact that both his arms were caught easily. This time, however, I didn't allow it to react.

My grip increased ten-fold, and the results were immediate. The bone plating beneath my fingers were shattered and cracked like porcelain, and the Grimm howled in pain at this. I tugged our arms to the side of our heads, and just like that the positioning was perfect. Slowly, but unwaveringly, I began to twist both my wrists and my arms themselves. The arms of the baboon Grimm, while vastly bigger than my own, crumpled like tubes of sausage. The torturous force behind the slow twists forced nasty snaps and pops to sound off even over the pained howling of the Pavian, and it showed very nicely. Where before it was stood proud, the pain had forced the Grimm to its knees, putting it just a few inches below me, and just as many inches from my face. My next action was one that only _I _would realistically be able to take, what with the massive canines jutting out from the opened mouth and all.

My head snapped forward with the force of a bullet, carrying with it all the same unwavering force. As my forehead made contact with that of the Pavian, immediately everything went silent. I could feel as the bone mask shattered just the same as the hands, and when I draw back I see the full extent of the damage I'd inflicted. The head of the Grimm had been completely caved-in. The entire forehead of the nuisance was sunken in, and fault-like cracks covered the rest of the skull that wasn't. Smoke and ash rose from the monster's wounds, and the entire body went limp in a matter of seconds.

Quickly, I drop the corpse and move back from it. I'm not quite out of the shit show yet… there were more where that came from. The howling had stopped, and silence reigned over the clearing for the moment. I sweep my eyes all around me, looking for any splotch of black or white against the green of the trees around me, but found nothing.

"Where ya hidin', Cochise? I need a new fuckin' rug." I taunt them, just to try to get some movement. Needless to say, it didn't work. Seconds fly by of me scanning my surroundings, with no results at all coming from it. Just as I'm about to give up and simply move on though, a rapid series of thuds sound off from directly behind me. I turn on a dime with my hands at the ready, and in the end find myself clutching another Pavian by the neck with my left hand.

"Gotcha." I comment to it playfully, a small smile on my face as I do so. This particular Grimm is actually much smaller than the previous one. Where as the first one was easily taller than me, I was easily able to catch this one out of the air when it launched itself at me, and I'm able to hold it aloft without any effort on my part. I'm no expert on Grimm or anything, so for all I know that first one could have been the alpha of the pack. Either way, as the monkey Grimm attempts to crush the wrist of my arm under its grip, I'm hit with an idea. "Ya know kid, I think you'll do nicely."

My statement fell on deaf ears of course, but it's all part of the fun. I reach my free hand upwards and behind my head, allowing it to grip the handle of my weapon tightly and bring it to the ready. The tip of the massive sword drags along the grassy ground at first as I bring it around, but I fix that quickly enough. As I do so, the silk ribbon tied to the pommel flutters about, completely belying the danger of my actions. The light, even through the foliage, shines off my weapon quite impressively still. Then I enact my test.

With a hefty swing of my arm, I send the Pavian flying directly up into the air. I watch carefully as it eventually stops its ascent, and begins coming right back down to me. The seconds feel a lot longer as the howling Grimm gets closer, but I wait patiently. At just the right moment, I bring my blade to bare, and with hardly any force give a heavy slash that met no resistance whatsoever.

The sword cut straight through the Grimm, bisecting it cleanly along the waist. Smoke and ash pour out of the carcass as the two pieces slam against the unforgiving ground, each at a different time. I open my mouth to give off a joke, but before I can even get the first syllable out I'm cut off by a large open palm impacting against the side of my head. Any normal man would have been hurting from that, but even without my semblance active my aura almost totally negated any damage. Sure, my head still snapped to the side from the force, but nothing more than that. Instead of worrying about what it could be, my first instinct is to launch my elbow behind me with as much force as possible. Luckily, my instincts are good. My elbow landed solidly against what I'm sure is a rib cage, and I'm _also_ sure that I pulverized it entirely. Not bothering to dwell on the feeling of bone shattering against my elbow, I swing around to find the culprit on the ground.

A third Pavian, this one tall as well was splayed out on its back. Its front hands were clutching desperately at the chest that had been caved in from the force of my blow, and its legs were jerking against the ground chaotically. Smoke pooled from its open mouth, and occasionally it coughed up chunks of soot from between its sharp teeth. Wordlessly, I walk to a position beside the damaged Grimm. As I walked, I rested the blade of my weapon against my shoulder, keeping my gait as normal and my gaze locked onto the monster that's writhing against the ground. In just a few steps I was beside the thing, watching it intently. Not even a second goes by before I grip my weapon with two hands, and loft it high over the grounded Grimm.

Without any hesitation, I plunge down. As soon as the blade impales the Pavian an obscene amount of soot gets coughed up, and in just seconds of twitching it too goes limp. The sickening, meaty sound is accompanied by the sound of dirt. The ease with which Jupiter Arc's weapon pierced through not only the Grimm, but also the land beneath it gave me a feeling of familiarity. I then plant my foot on the dissolving Grimm to get just a bit of leverage, and pull free my weapon. Once again I rest it on my shoulder with one hand loosely on the grip, waiting for a new challenger. Seconds go by just as before, but this time nothing attempts an attack. Once a full minute had passed, I begin walking in my previous direction once more.

"We'll have to do this again, boys. Got somewhere to be for now." I quip to the decaying Grimm, putting on a casual step as I once again anchor my sword to my back. Soon enough, I'd reached the edge of the clearing and continued past the barrier. In the trees, I picked up speed once more and began weaving my way between the facets of nature. Trees, brush, bushes, all of it passed by just as it did before my stop, and in no time I'd made it to my goal.

The face of the cliff was sheer, no leverage to be found on the rocky surface… or at least not at the location _I'm _at. A rough climb on the rocks though is no trouble for me. As I walk closer to the rock wall, I make sure everything on me is secure. All of my personal items I trust to stay put, but for the relic I take a bit of extra precaution. Reaching into my jacket pocket, I take the knight out and place him in the pocket of my sweatpants, leaving far less a chance for it to fall out on my way up. Once at the wall, I rasp my knuckles against the smooth stone harshly as a test. Nothing about the stone gave, thankfully. No debris were knocked loose, and nothing deformed immediately either. That's good for me, and that also means that this rock is more than perfect for what I'm going to do.

Silently, I will my semblance into activating, and then stab my open hand at the cliff face with a thrust. Without any tools, my hand bit into the rock perfectly, giving me a perfect grip against the stone. I repeat the process with my other hand as well, only a bit higher than the first one. After that, I basically work my way up from there. Soon enough, my feet were no longer touching the ground, and were instead wedged into the holds I'd made with my bare hands. My method continues like that for quite a while, leaving me to carve out a ladder along the side of the goddamn cliff. The time, while boring, was passed easily by the physical work, and before I knew it I was high above the tree line below. After noticing this, I decided to take a slight break from the monotonous climbing. Without any worry in my heart, I allowed my left arm to rest and leaned back, turning my head to view the sight behind me. It was in all honesty, beautiful. The sun was high in the sky at this point, lighting up the massive ocean of green leaves below in my sight. Hardly any clouds blotted the sky, and as I held my weight with my right arm, I could feel a nice wind against me that blew off of the cliff face. I wasn't bothered at all by the height, and actually felt it was quite peaceful as I washed my gaze over the landscape.

All good things must come to an end though. _My_ good time was brought to an end when I saw a massive nevermore dive down into the forest in the distance, shooting feather projectiles and screeching loud enough to hear faintly. Upon seeing that, I immediately turned back towards the cliff and redoubled my efforts at climbing. I don't even have to explain myself as to why.

The time passed quickly once more in the monotony of climbing. The trail continued uninterrupted as I went upwards, sinking my hands into the stone wall effortlessly. When my hands finally pulled me up onto solid land though, I was happy to be finished with the task. Climbing might be easy, but that doesn't mean its fun in the slightest. Slowly, I manage to finally rise to my feet onto the same grassy land I'd started at. Without anything urgent to attend to, I spend a few seconds cleaning myself off. The rock dust coating my hands was shaken off first, and that was quickly followed by any stone debris that littered my clothes and shoes. Once I was satisfied, I turned my attention to the area around me. It took little effort to pinpoint the two in charge, as they were both staring at scrolls at the edge of the cliffs, completely invested in what they were seeing. With the same scowl as I left them with, I walk my way towards them. I quickly realized that they didn't even realize I'd arrived after making it to them. Still, the blonde woman stayed focused on her scroll and the white-haired man had switched to gazing at the forest itself.

I stood behind them with my arms crossed, and my scowl simmered down to a frown. There's no reason to stay here and waste time.

"Hey." I say flatly, breaking the silence abruptly. The reaction was immediate, with the blonde woman nearly dropping her scroll from shock. The old man's reaction was much more subdued, as he just twirled around to face me. Once his gaze was locked with mine, he planted his cane onto the ground and rested his hands gently on top.

"Finished, I take it?" He asked, a bit of actual interest leaking into his voice as his assistant gazed upon me strictly. As a way to answer him, I just uncross my arms and dig into my pocket. I retrieve the knight piece, and then toss it to him lightly. After snatching it out of the air, he takes a moment to inspect it… and then shares a look with the blonde next to him.

"We will make an announcement for where the victors shall be needed later in the day. You're free to go for now." He relates to me, turning back to me with analytical eyes. I don't give him the time to search for anything though, and depart with a simple nod.

As I trek back to campus from these cliffs, a new target is in my mind. I believe it's about time for lunch.

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The cafeteria, unlike yesterday, is completely packed.

Considering this is a school, that's not so surprising. Teams of four took up the tables, and sometimes teams even doubled up and mingled with each other at a single table. Given how many students attend Beacon though, even that doesn't save much room. In all honesty, I'm proud to have claimed what looks to be the only empty one at the moment. I'd kept my weapon with me, so I quickly got used to occasional glances from the official students and got to focusing on my food. I have to say, the chicken gumbo here ain't bad at all. Just as I raise my spoon to my lips for another bite, I end up pausing.

A metal tray sat itself on the table next to me. Following the tray, a girl dressed in black and white sat on the bench.

In all honesty, I'm a bit stunned that she's had the gall to sit with me without asking _twice_ now. That's probably the sole reason why as I stare at her carefully, my gaze stays solidly neutral instead of my usual challenging glare. She stares back just as neutrally. Our eyes stay locked together for a solid, _long_ second before she looks towards her food instead, my eyes following as well. Her tray held the same thing mine did, chicken gumbo. In time, I averted my eyes completely and continued eating my lunch. This girl followed suit, eating without a care in the world in complete silence. Minutes passed, and with it my suspicions grew.

A few four-man groups had arrived looking scuffed, and in my mind that means that they'd either been training or were part of the initiation. What really sealed my theory, however, happened after we'd polished off our food. The silence still stayed, with her reading a book and myself going over messages on my scroll, when the damning evidence walked through the doors of the cafeteria. As a group, every last person I'd set myself to start avoiding walked in. The blonde one, the one in the cape, the annoying one, the polite one, and even Green and Pink as well. I watched as they walked to the line for food pick up, and quickly eyed the girl with yellow eyes beside me.

"I'm not the only one that took on initiation alone then, eh?" My question was confident, but also nonchalant. The prompt didn't give me her eyes, but it _did_ give me her attention.

"You made a good point. The idea of being tethered to a stranger for years isn't a… _pleasant_ one." She says, cutting straight to the point. One of my eyebrows raises just slightly at her answer, but other than that, I don't react. In my mind, however, her position shoots up several levels.

"Don." I state without explanation. As I was about to go back to my scroll, she actually looks up from her book and looks at me questioningly.

"What?"

"My name… Don. Anyone who sees the value that _I_ do in freedom isn't a waste of space in my eyes, so I introduced myself." I explain to her with my typical penetrating glare coming into place. Not so much a glare that'd have you shaking in your shoes, but one that lets you know I'm serious.

Variety of glares I have mastered aside, I watch as her eyes light up at my words. What part she found interesting, I'm not sure. Either way, she returned the brusque gesture of mine.

"Blake… and I suppose the same to you." Her answer is tentative, but she's hidden that behind a distant tone. She's an interesting one. After giving her name, she doesn't immediately go back to her book. Instead, her gaze absentmindedly falls to the table. After a moment of thought, I decide to continue the 'conversation'.

"How'd ya manage to dip the others in the forest?" I don't hide my curiosity with the question. The fact that someone adopted my self-appointed challenge, while still being deployed with everyone else and succeeded sounds like an interesting story to me. Her eyes snap back to my own briefly at my continuation, but calm down quickly after looking at me.

"I stayed out of their sight in the trees and went straight for the clearing. By the time I showed myself to get a relic, everyone was already partnered. While the others stuck around the temple, I chose to leave and complete the task." She answers, getting a nod of approval from me. Before I could respond, though, she turns to me with a question of her own. "How did you climb back up the cliff?"

I can't hold back the small chuckle at the question. It was something I wasn't quite expecting.

"I carved out a neat little art project on the side of the cliffs and worked my way up. You saw that?" I question her, actively holding back a smile at the mention of my work. A skeptical look passes over her face for an instant before being washed away as she responds.

"More like I _used_ it. That path of yours made getting up much easier than I thought it would be."

"Neat, ain't it?" She scoffs completely at my comment, before immediately throwing in one of her own.

"Sure, if you want to call carving a ladder out of smooth stone all the way up a cliff '_neat_'." The smallest of smiles passes over her face at the absurd nonchalance displayed towards my actions. I felt another chuckle bubble up, but suppressed it instead. Briefly, I take a moment to look up from ourselves at the scene around us.

The tables were still filled to the brim, and it doesn't look like many have left at all. The noon sun shined through the tall windows of the cafeteria, lighting up the room well. My eyes pass over many of the tables, and just as I'm about to continue our little conversation… I spot trouble once again. Coming clumped together just as they'd arrived are the others. Small Red is leading the group this time, followed by all the rest. The fact that they're in the room wouldn't usually bother me in the slightest. Nah, the real problem is that she's herding them to come directly for _me. _While the others look a bit nervous or distasteful, the small one in charge has nothing but bubbly friendliness on her face and big wide eyes.

Time to make my escape yet again.

I grab up both my scroll and my tray, ready to vacate the area immediately, before I pause myself. A glance to my left shows Blake, completely oblivious to the impending danger. I conceal a deep breath as I look at her, trying my best to prepare for my last-minute move.

"Fuck, the others are comin' this way." I mutter loudly, not even putting on a show as to my annoyance at their arrival. This catches Blake's attention quickly, and as soon as she laid eyes on what I was talking about she let out a groan of displeasure. "Blake, wanna bail before they get here? I kinda left you to them yesterday, thought I'd at least give ya the chance now that I know you."

I offer this off the top of my head as I get up from the bench, making sure I have everything that I came with. Only a second passes before I have an answer, and she didn't even need to say it out loud for me to figure it out. Quickly, she gathers up her book and tray. She gracefully removes herself from the table and stands before me with a grateful look on her face.

"I wish you'd have offered _yesterday_ too, Don. Not only did they interrupt my book, they decided to start _yelling_ right next to me." She says with a huff at the memory. As she starts moving away towards the exit, I fall in step with her. I hope the amusement isn't plain to see on my face, but I don't obsess over the thought. In no time, we'd deposited our trays and made it outside. Walking along the path together, with the sun beating down on us, another question pops into my head.

"What piece did ya pick?" With my hands buried in my pockets, I took the time to look at the other people passing by as I waited for her answer. A nice gust was blowing against us at the moment, jostling not only my open jacket but also my necklace as well. I take a glance at her, and see the breeze hitting her as well. The ribbon of her weapon trailed back because of the wind, and I'm sure the small trail of silk on the pommel of mine was doing the exact same. Her black locks waved slightly in the wind as she turned to me with a raised eyebrow and answered.

"The golden knight piece, actually. What about you?"

I almost stopped in my tracks at her answer. I very nearly stumbled over my feet because of it, but forced myself to stay composed even though my mind was busy rebooting.

"Well ain't that a coincidence… me too." Even more amusement tinged my voice as I shot my comment. "Wonder if that means anything?"

Blake just looks at me in surprise for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. I feel the exact same way… who cares? We'll find out, soon enough.

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In a massive circular room, I wait. The area is rife with people; crowded, in my own opinion. Both the floor and the multiple benches of the upper level of the room were filled to the brim with people, and at the moment all eyes were on the stage. Built basically as an inclined area with a lit-up set design framing the back of it, it's my opinion that it serves its purpose well enough. On the inclined area stood the Headmaster dressed in green and black, a man I finally found out goes by the name Ozpin. Also on the stage were four guys, each dressed in at least _some _form of armor. High above the incline were two projected hologram screens, both displaying the same image of the four boys with letters just below their mugshots.

As a group, all of the initiates were stood together at the side of the stage, ready to be called on at a moments notice. Blake and I were positioned noticeably further away from the others, but not so much that we couldn't hear their chatter.

"Congratulations, young man." The Headmaster says warmly to the new leader of Team Cardinal, a team made up by the letters CRDL. Since I don't care enough to learn their names, or even listen to them, that is what I know them as now.

Quickly, the four new students vacate the stage entirely after a brief round of applause. As they walk off, the hologram screens were wiped of both pictures and letters and left blank for the next team. The second the stage was cleared, the old man continued with the next team.

"Weiss Schnee, Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos." He calls out, allowing the students time to come up onto the stage. The annoying girl, Green, Pink, and the uncomfortably polite one walk up on stage in the same order as the pictures. For this particular batch, I actually pay attention to the names and faces. I'm only slightly surprised that the kid with white hair actually _is_ a Schnee. I'd joked with the name as an insult in the past, mostly because of their reputation. Seeing her personality though… I have to say it fits. For some reason, the name Pyrrha Nikos also rings a bell in the back of my head, but I just can't quite place it. I doubt it's important if it doesn't jump out at me, so in the end I ignore it altogether.

I give off a low whistle as the mugshots fade-in on the hologram screen above our heads, taking in the spectacle for what it is. While scrolls are cool and all that, traveling around the countryside villages and settlements of Mistral didn't really give me much opportunity to stare at holo-screens bigger than a grown man. Sometimes the small things can be pretty interesting, depending on who you are.

"The four of you have retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Silverfin." While I have some reservations about calling the gold pieces 'white pieces', I try to ignore it. Instead, I watch the letters come onto the screen above me. S, L, V, and N in order. "Led by Weiss Schnee."

I can see pride bloom on her face at the announcement, and immediately she looks towards the girl named Pyrrha with a smile. A scoff to my side has me looking at Blake instead, and what I find nearly makes me chuckle. She'd crossed her arms at the announcement, and was staring the white-haired girl down with narrowed eyes. She didn't mar her face with a scowl or anything, and in all honesty I'd say she pulls it off.

"Congratulations, young lady." His voice is just as warm as before, and soon enough Team Silverfin were off the stage.

Thinking about it, I actually wonder how he's going to announce the two solo teams of myself and Blake? Maybe he'll give some sort of speech before he calls us up or something.

"And Finally, Ruby Rose-"

Starting off with the duo then? That makes a bit of sense. Why'd he say 'finally', though?

"- Blake Belladonna-"

My head immediately snaps to Blake, confusion definitely showing on my face at his announcement. Her own eyes were wide in surprise, and gradually a scowl takes over her lips. The gears in my mind start turning, but I'm not liking where they go in the _slightest._

"- Jaune Arc, and Yang Xiao Long."

…

He did it.

The yellow and red ones are already up on stage by the time Blake and I start to move. With each step I'm hit with the realization of what he's just said. My face turns to stone, showing absolutely no facial expression beyond that of displeasure, but that doesn't stop my teeth from grinding together. Every movement I took to get into position on the stage was slow and calculated, just like that of a predator. Once in place, Blake and I both fix him with red-hot glares, my deepest and vilest scowl directed at him as I stand there.

Fucker doesn't even blink, but at this point I'm not surprised in the least.

"The four of you accomplished something interesting. Two of you retrieved the white knight pieces, while the other two managed to retrieve the sole queen piece." Although I swear I can hear it in this mans voice, he does not smirk. "From this day forward, you will work together as Team Rosebay."

From the corner of my eye, I see our mugshots on the holo-screen, accompanied with the letters RBAY. Just before he continues on, I see him glance quickly at both Blake and I before redirecting his gaze. My glare worsens even further as my hands clench tight.

"Led by Ruby Rose." His final announcement is met with thunderous cheer from the gathered people in the crowd. To the side of me, Yang leaps towards the team leader with a bear hug and congratulatory shout, showing off just how happy she is for her younger friend. I just keep my eyes trained on the man in front of me, itching to dig into him at the slightest move. The gears keep chugging in my mind, trying their best to figure out exactly why he'd bother with us just to jump this on us so cleanly. Then, he turned directly towards me, meeting my gaze evenly despite the rage put behind my stare… _and he fucking SMILED at me._

"It looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year."

In that instant, the gears clicked into place. With the realization of what happened, my scowl shifted seamlessly into a sickly smile that smeared itself across my face, and my hands were balled up and shoved into my pockets. With everyone cheering, the blonde assistant of the Headmaster came and took the spotlight. In his stead, she belted off rounds of information regarding class times and dorm locations, but my mind felt much too heavy at the moment to bother listening. Blake, on the other hand, easily captured my attention as she turned to me with a light scowl on her face.

"This has to be some kind of joke! What about our solo completion of the trial?" It's not so much that anger is present in her voice as it is sheer indignation. As I look to her, contemplating my next move, everything seems so clear at the moment.

"Ain't it obvious, partner? Gramps just duped our asses." I state, growling out the last part because of the shame I feel at being tricked so easily. Most of the anger had evaporated at the realization, but indignation still runs rampant through me at the turn of events.

"Partner?" She asks me, seeking clarification. With a good dosage of humiliation thanks to the old man, I give it to her.

"That decrepit old fuck never set a _time limit_ on the eye contact rule." I clarify, rubbing a hand through my short hair absently. "And _you_ were the first initiate I made contact with…"

Seconds passed as Blake took her time absorbing the information, with myself still messing with my hair without thinking about it. After a while of thought, I let out a disappointed sigh. Coincidentally, Blake happened to match me almost at the exact same time with a sigh of her own. I wheel my eyes back over to her, and instead of a scowl or any sadness, nothing but a soft pout remains.

"I guess I could do worse for a partner." She states, surprisingly optimistic about the situation. I hummed at her statement, and issued a quick challenge to it.

"You could, couldn't you?"

"Absolutely. Either of us could have been chained to the _Schnee_ instead_._" She whispers the name to me like a curse… which to be totally fair, it is.

"That's like a truth written in stone. I guess on the bright side, I got paired with the only one of this lot that's _not_ helpless."

I'll have to keep my distance still, sure. But at least she won't try and cling to me for no reason other than naivete.

"Hm." She hums noncommittally with a contemplating look on her face. Quickly though, her eyes flick to mine with a spark in them. "So… Jaune Arc, is it?"

…

That old fucker is gonna have trouble saying that name when he's too busy coughing up chunks of his own spine. I think _that's_ how I'll solve this.

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**Chapter 2 µµµµµµµµµµµ END µµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµµ**

_And there we have it. A pretty fun chapter with Grimm and all that good jazz. Once again, I'm pretty happy with how this chapter turned out, and I think for the most part I'm setting up a good base for where I want to take my story. Also... I wonder what this semblance could possibly be? Guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out! Before I get to any announcements or anything, I'll go ahead and go through the comments from last chapter in order from first to last. All __**twenty-five **__of them!_

_Let's go._

_merendinoemiliano – Thanks for the comment my man, and I guess we'll just have to see about that._

_Greer123 – Thanks for that, dude! I really appreciate it, and I hope you enjoyed this new installment. I'm doing really well actually, and I hope you're doing the same_

_Xealchim – Noice._

_TheForgottenKnightmare – Thank you, my man! I appreciate it a lot_

_rwbyfan0071 – Surprise! I'm back with a much bigger chapter this time!_

_DARKPHANTOM13 – I'm glad to hear ya like Jauney-boy here. I've been thinking about this character for a while now, so I hope he seems pretty solid all around. I think you'll like where I take this story, honestly._

_lightningkick – Thanks dude! I've been developing this boy here for a little bit, so I'm glad I decided to start this once my writing evolved. Hope I didn't keep ya waiting too long_

_Guest – Thank you, my shadow friend_

_theawesomest5 – aw yea, my man_

_HAIL KING DELIRIOUS – Noice _

_sunkenpanda – I love me some One Piece, dude. Cheers to that, and I hope you enjoyed the new chapter my man! Thanks for the comment_

_Guest – Thanks man, I hope you find this one entertaining too_

_Fatman 42 – Goddamn this comment is really flattering man! I really appreciate that you like my little gang that I've made here, and that you enjoyed it so much. Hopefully I didn't keep you waiting too long for this new one!_

_InuctusCorde – Hope you had your ears open for this chapter then, my man. I came at ya with a lot more words this time. Hope you enjoyed it_

_Guest – Thanks my dude! I appreciate the feedback on the music too, actually. I think I'll keep it low in this story if I put in any at all._

_Timothy Tucker – Thanks my man, I hope this chapter finds you well._

_Reader – Very very close, my man. Last chapter I said 'the woman and the boy' though, so Blake doesn't really fit that time stamp with Jaune being 10 at the time. You got half the equation, though_

_Zetsu-Bunshin – I really love MGS man, and I guess you might be pretty happy with the start of this chapter then, eh?_

_DECADSM – Thanks man, I've been working pretty hard on it. I find things like the New York Mafia and the Yakuza to be incredibly interesting too, so I put just a bit of that energy into a lot of things I write. I'll be sure to try and keep it up, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!_

_geohvod – Thanks man, I really appreciate the comment on my diction a lot. I've been reading as my hobby for most of my life, so I kinda picked up a lot of habits that way and now I'm learning how to use them properly in writing. I'll be sure to keep the train going!_

_clary1925 – Thanks! I hope this chapter kept up the trend_

_Ninjawithafro – Woah, this has to be one of my favorite comments on here, man! I'm glad you like the dynamic in Black Diamonds, it's pretty interesting weaving a bunch of different characters together like this, and I have a lot of fun coming up with the characters too. I don't think you'll be disappointed once it comes time for Blake and Don to talk about the past; that's going to be a major theme in this story. I hope this chapter gets to you well, and that you enjoyed it as much as the last. It's a lot longer this time, so I hope the quality didn't downgrade or anything because of it._

_whynoceolocanth – Thanks dude, I really appreciate that bit you said about storytelling. Writing is my favorite thing to do in the world, above pretty much everything else I can think of. I'm glad you have so much confidence in the story already man, that really means a lot! I've got the main storyline planned out pretty well in my opinion, so I hope it keeps you interested. I think I'll keep the songs limited in this story for now, actually. I love sharing the music I listen to while writing scenes, but I feel it might take away from this particular story if I did that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last!_

_Jaerskov Tempestwing – You got it homie; I hope you enjoyed this one too!_

_Tymius windboi – Ishya boi, Guzma, here to deal out destruction in human form!_

_Damn, guys. Lots of people to respond to off of just one chapter, and I really love it! I hope all of you leave another one for me this time as well, because I love hearing from the people reading my stuff. I really enjoyed that, so I can't wait until next chapter when I get to do it all again!_

_Anyway, I mentioned an announcement or two at the beginning of the chapter so I suppose it's time for that now._

_First up, I have a twitter account that you can follow if you want to. The handle is BigBossHorizen and if literally even a single one of you follows me, I guess I'll be posting updates and the like there on chapters and ideas. You might have to search for BigBossAniki if it doesn't show up, but you'll know it's me if the name is Shore. I'll still be using it to retweet art that I like and all of that good stuff too. I hope to see some of you over there eventually, might be kinda cool!_

_Now with that out of the way, I also wanted to let you all know that I might be gone for a minute with updates this time. I'm going to be doing something that I've had on my mind for a good while now, but never felt that it was the right time or that my writing style was good enough. Over the past year that I've been on here I've gotten more support than I've ever had before, both in the form of criticism and compliments, and I feel that I've grown a hell of a lot._

_That's why, for the next piece of writing that I'll be working on, it won't be for one of my stories on here. Instead, I'm going to crush out the first chapter of my very own original work. I'm really excited to start on this, and I have been for a while now. I have the basis and storyline all thought out, and I'm going to try my hardest to put my skills to the test to make something all on my own. I'm real nervous, I'm real excited, and most of all I'm real happy that the people on FF have been so supportive of me to where I feel I might have a chance to put my foot in the door._

_This is a personal project of mine, needless to say. If any of you are interested though, I guess I could post updates about that as well on my twitter account. I feel it's going to be a very fun story._

_So yeah. Wish me luck on that, because it's probably going to be the biggest step I've ever taken in my life._

_Anyway, let's move on from all of that. I'm just going to thank you all one last time for sitting down and reading all my stuff, and I hope you've had a good time here as well!_

_Take it easy, leave a comment telling me what you thought of the chapter and everything that happened in it, and I guess follow me BigBossHorizen too. Feels weird to say that, but I guess that's my new tagline now._

_Welp, I suppose that's it. For now, this is Shore signing out._


End file.
